Student at UA to Present Record Donation for Haiti Relief

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama Community Service Center will present $10,000 to the West Alabama Chapter of the American Red Cross on Tuesday, March 23, at 2 p.m. in the Ferguson Center TV lounge.

The donation came from the work of Tray Smith, a UA freshman majoring in economics from Atmore, as part of Haiti outreach efforts on campus.

According to Neal Hardin, emergency services specialist with the American Red Cross, it is the largest donation ever obtained by a single student from Southeastern Conference schools given to a local Red Cross chapter. The West Alabama Chapter of the Red Cross will name Smith a superhero for his efforts.

The donation will come from The Better Life Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to helping young adults and children in need. The donation will support relief efforts in Haiti and encourage UA students to contribute and fulfill their moral responsibilities, says Smith.

The Better Life Foundation is supported by the popular band 3 Doors Down and named after their first album, The Better Life.

“We secured the funding because of our plan to use it to encourage students to give more and participate in the relief effort,” said Smith. “It is our hope in the Student Government Association that having 3 Door’s Down sponsor our Haiti relief effort will encourage students to be more giving and to follow the band’s example. We also hope this will inspire our student body to be more socially conscious in general and to live lives worthy of our school’s commitment to public service.”

In addition to Hardin, Oscar Barnes, executive director of the West Alabama Red Cross, Dr. Mark Nelson, vice president for student affairs and vice provost, Dr. Kathleen Cramer, senior associate vice president for student affairs, and representatives from the Haiti outreach committee will attend the donation ceremony that is open to media.

For more information about the UA event, contact Josh Burford in the CSC at 205/348-5586, burfo003@sa.ua.edu or Tray Smith at 251/253-0518, tsmith_90@hotmail.com.

To learn more about The Better Life Foundation, go online to:  http://www.thebetterlifefoundation.org/index3.html.

Contact

Haley Barr or Linda Hill, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325, lhill@ur.ua.edu

Source

Josh Burford, UA Community Service Center, 205/348-5586, burfo003@sa.ua.edu, Tray Smith, 251/253-0518, tsmith_90@hotmail.com, Neal Hardin, American Red Cross, 205/758-3608, hardinn@bamaredcross.org