Ohio University students converged upon Baker University Center to provide aid for their peers who were affected by the Union Street fire on Sunday.
Ohio University students converged upon Baker University Center to provide aid for their peers who were affected by the Union Street fire on Sunday.
Robert Burke, a senior studying international studies war and peace, got to Baker Center at approximately 3 p.m. on Sunday to begin helping students in need.
He came with volunteers from Alpha Phi Omega, a national co-ed service fraternity that focuses on community service.
He woke up Sunday morning, saw the news and contacted other volunteers.
“I felt like we could do more,” Burke said as he sorted clothes into piles and directed donors in the right direction in Baker on Sunday.
Burke was one of many who donated items, money and time after a fire ravaged a large portion of Union Street and displaced 40 OU students. Piles of clothing, food and other necessities accumulated in Baker.
The university also routed online donors to ohio.edu/give, where they could donate money to students affected by the blaze.
No more item donations are needed at this time, said Ryan Lombardi, vice president for Student Affairs.
OU also supplied displaced students with free hotel rooms, food, disaster packages, laptops and other assistance — which included contacting the professors of students whose apartments were damaged or destroyed by the fire.
Burke said his first reaction, upon hearing the news of the fire, was wanting to help. He saw numerous posts on Facebook and wondered what he could do.
Burke emailed Lombardi and Jenny Hall-Jones, dean of students, to see if he was needed. They responded that there was a need for volunteers.
Burke took to Facebook and started sending emails, which resulted in a couple more volunteers.
“It is kind of like student-run, spur-of-the-moment … it wasn’t really planned, that’s for sure,” said Burke, who noted that many of the donations were brand-new items, such as clothes that still had the tags on them.
“I noticed a lot of people coming in and buying things,” said Alex Smith, a sophomore studying nursing, who works at College Bookstore.
Most of the donations are second-hand, gently-used clothing that people have come in and donated, Burke said.
“We saw the news, came down here and wanted to help,” Burke said, adding he would be in Baker until all students affected by the fire felt they had been adequately helped.
Other donated items included bags of toiletries — filled with toothbrushes, toothpaste, body wash and deodorant — and blankets, food and accessories.
“This is a family, we are a family as a university,” said Hannah Cleek, a senior studying environmental geography, who volunteered at Baker. “When things happen, we come together and help each other. If I was in this situation, I would want people to help me out too. You just lend a hand when it’s needed.”
Will Gibbs contributed to this report.
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