Membership

Associate Members step up with hurricane relief

NIRSA Associate Members have made great contributions to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. The following Members sent word of their efforts to the NNC.

• The American Council on Exercise is offering its Online Discussion Board as a resource to help connect fitness professionals affected by Hurricane Katrina to much needed assistance.
• C.C. Creations donated boxes of clothing items to the relief efforts at the University of Alabama Student Recreation Center, where many evacuees were sheltered.
• Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro has set up a blog on its Web site to help fitness professionals who have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina find a job. Several fitness facilities around the country are interested in temporarily or permanently employing displaced fitness professionals. Those looking for a job, and facilities looking for employees, have posted on the blog. In addition, the magazine's October issue will feature a story about the effects of the hurricane on the fitness business in the coastal South, including insurance issues that could affect facility owners who want to rebuild.
• F&S Partners has been very active in the Katrina relief efforts, particularly since it is so close to Dallas and many of the firm's employees have families that have been affected. Employees have collected canned food and donations for the Red Cross, and the firm has listed with the American Institute of Architects, Dallas Chapter, to provide temporary employment to displaced architects.
• Power Systems donated $2,000 to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief.
• RSN Promotionals contributed $1,450 and is donating 500 tees to a company that is selling them at $10 and will match up to $5,000. RSN also gave a couple of hundred shirts at its cost for another fundraiser.
• Sayings For You has donated t-shirts, hats, and pens to the American Red Cross in New Orleans.
• Sports Imports gave $20,000 to the Red Cross and also gave $1,500 to the volleyball officials in the area, to purchase a new official kit (whistle, uniform, etc.).
• The University Network created special messaging for the flat-screen television displays at a number of the universities that hosted evacuees or were involved in relief and rescue efforts. Custom emergency messages were created prior to the storm for many schools providing instructions to prepare students for Katrina and Public Service Announcements from the Red Cross were also posted subsequently.
• USTA will donate $500,000 from U.S. Open proceeds toward the American Red Cross hurricane relief effort for affected communities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The donation is at the foundation of a multi-tiered effort at the U.S. Open to assist Katrina victims.
• YogaFit named the week of September 12 "YogaFit for Katrina" week and committed to raising money to fund the relief efforts through various classes offered during the week around the country. YogaFit has also donated to PETA, Noah's Wish and the Humane Society of the United States.
• Youth Basketball of America housed a family of 13 YBOA members in Orlando, Florida.