The University of Iowa Foundation has created a special flood relief fund that will accept gifts from UI alumni and friends who wish to support the university as it recovers from flood-related damage not covered by insurance or other resources.
Gifts may be made to the fund online by visiting www.uiowafoundation.org or www.givetoiowa.org/floodfund, or they may be sent by mail to the UI Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, Iowa 52244-4550.
In announcing the creation of the flood relief fund, UI Foundation and university officials said contributions will be used at UI President Sally Mason's discretion to address areas of greatest need throughout the campus.
Mason and UI Foundation President Lynette Marshall encourage all in the UI community and all Iowans to help –- whether through volunteering or through other sharing of resources -- with the flood-relief efforts throughout all parts of the state affected by the flooding.
[Note: On Saturday night, June 14, the UI suspended campus volunteer efforts after sandbagging as many flood-prone areas as possible. People wishing to volunteer are encouraged to contact the Iowa City Hall Flood Hotline at (319) 887-6202. The hotline is operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.]
“Much of the eastern half of the state of Iowa, as well as the UI and the greater Iowa City-Coralville area, have suffered widespread and unprecedented damage as a result of the historic flood of 2008,” Mason said. “Alumni and friends who wish to help neighbors in need should contact the Red Cross and other local relief agencies.
“We do not yet know the extent of the damage to our campus, but we are certain that it will take multiple sources of support – from insurance, government resources and private gifts -- to recover and restore the university’s full ability to pursue its mission of teaching, research and service to all Iowans,” she added.
UI facilities either flooded or at risk of flooding include: Hancher Auditorium, the UI Museum of Art, Art Building West and Art Building East, the Iowa Memorial Union, the Theatre Building, Voxman Music Building, Stanley Hydraulics Lab, Iowa Advanced Technology Labs, North Hall, Hawkeye Court apartments, the Adler Journalism Building, the English-Philosophy Building, the Becker Communications Studies Building and the Main Library.
For links to photos of UI campus flooding, and for complete information about the UI and the Flood of 2008, visit the special UI News Services blog at http://uiflood.blogspot.com/
“The UI Foundation will gratefully receive contributions of all sizes to this and other important UI initiatives; however, due to the impact that flood conditions have had on our own operations, we may not be able to send gift receipts in our typically timely manner,” said UI Foundation President Lynette Marshall. “We thank our alumni and contributors for their generosity and patience during this challenging time.”
The UI acknowledges the UI Foundation as the preferred channel for private contributions that benefit all areas of the university. For more information about the UI Foundation, visit its web site at www.uiowafoundation.org.
STORY SOURCE: UI Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, Iowa 52244-4550
MEDIA CONTACT: Susan Shullaw, senior VP-strategic communications, the UI Foundation, call 319-351-2606 or 319-541-4288, susan-shullaw@uiowa.edu. Writer: Forrest Meyer.
