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UA students host Mall booth to gather support for Turkish quake survivors

Amid dozens of UA Mall stands peddling credit cards and advertising to college students, one tent - "Wildcats for Turkey Earthquake Relief" - called out for the University of Arizona community to aid one of the largest natural disasters in history.

UA's Turkish Student Association raised $200 on the Mall yesterday, bringing the club's donation total to $2,188. The donations are expected to grow more as the campaign goes on until the end of next week.

After she bought her season football tickets, Megan Chiramal, a senior majoring in French, stopped by the TSA table and dropped off a $10 bill in the aluminum-wrapped donation box. She said the devastating effects of the earthquake made her contribute to the fund.

"It was overwhelming (seeing the news)," she said. "I hadn't seen an earthquake like that make an impact in such a long time."

Lolin Cervantes-Kelly, a doctorate student in the second language acquisition and teaching program, donated her money and her time by signing the contact list. She gave several reasons as to why she did both.

"Well, I believe that I'm blessed," Cervantes-Kelly said. "I'm not only happy, healthy, but I have more than I need, especially now in this tragedy."

Cervantes-Kelly said she hopes to make up for her financial limitations with whatever efforts she can offer the student-organized relief group.

"I can't give enough money because I'm a student," she said. "But if I give enough time, it's more important."

Cervantes-Kelly cried when she saw the damage on television because she was reminded of her experience in the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.

"I can relate to the sound, the smell, the horror," she said. "It's not just your body that's crushed, but your spirit that is hurt."

The TSA is managed by UA students who are also Turkish citizens. Many had relatives and friends in the vicinity of the disaster area.

Turkish relief leaders have estimated as many as 40,000 deaths have resulted from last Tuesday's earthquake, which registered 7.4 on the Richter scale.

The organization's executive council member, Sumru Akcan, grew up in Istanbul, 90 miles northwest of Izmit, the quake's epicenter. She said her family was on the second floor of their home, which was a less dangerous location compared to high-rise structures.

"Overall, they're safe and fine," Akcan said.

She is doing everything she can with TSA to help the victims in her homeland.

"We're working hard and everyone's very sensitive about the issue," she said.

Cansu Bulgu, the ring-leader of TSA's relief campaign, is negotiating with several other UA organizations to assist them.

"We're trying to target every single Wildcat - I want everybody to join in," she said.

Bulgu hopes there will be a box in every residence hall today for item donations.

She said TSA volunteers recruited during the next two weeks will group similar items and put them in specified boxes. They will then deliver them to World Care, a humanitarian organization located at 320 S. Wilmot Road.

Volunteers will then put together care-packages for individuals in need of aid. Bulgu added that a few will also need to pick-up the residence hall boxes and deliver them to World Care.