UPEI
      Students
      Raise
      $1,011
      for
      Red
     
     
      Afghan
      Relief
      Fund,
      Finally
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Erin
      FAGAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Cross
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      organizers
      behind
     
     
      Saturday
      night’s
      successful
      Afghan
     
     
      Relief
      Fund
      Concert
      were
      scheduled
     
     
      to.
      meet
      with
      P.E.I.’s
      Canadian
      Red
     
     
      Cross
      Manager
      of
      Fund
      Development,
     
     
      Wally
      Morrison,
      at
      twelve
      o’clock
      on
     
     
      Monday,
      March
      11.
     
    

    
     
      Twelve
      minutes
      before
      twelve
     
     
      o’clock,
      the
      group
      (UPEI
      students
     
     
      Sobia
      Ali,
      Stuart
      Neatby,
      Jennifer
     
     
      Galle,
      and
      George
      Marshall)
      realized
     
     
      that
      they
      were
      only
      about
      thirty
      dol-
     
     
      lars
      away
      from
      having
      a
      $1,000
      dona-
     
     
      tion
      for
      the
      Red
      Cross.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “This
      is
      really
     
     
      appreciated.
      It’s
     
     
      people
      like
      you
      who
     
     
      do
      these
      things.”
     
    

    
     
      -Wally
      Morrison
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Taking
      up
      the
      donation
      buck-
     
     
      et,
      the
      students
      held
      a
      spontaneous
     
     
      campaign
      drive
      in
      the
      English,
     
     
      Economics,
      and
      Political
      Studies
      areas
     
     
      of
      the
      Main
      Building,
      striving
      to
      reach
     
     
      that
      coveted
      $1,000
      mark.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      fact,
      they
      exceeded
      their
     
     
      expectations.
      Within
      less
      than
      ten
     
     
      minutes,
      thanks
      to
      the
      generosity
      of
     
     
      those
      who
      donated
      spare
      change
      and
     
     
      last-minute
      checks,
      the
      group
     
     
      achieved
      $33.54.
     
    

    
     
      At
      twelve
      o’clock,
      the
      group
     
     
      presented
      Morrison
      with
      a
      grand
      total
     
     
      of
      $1,011
      for
      the
      relief
      efforts
      in
     
     
      Afghanistan.
     
    

    
     
      The
      concert
      itself,
      held
      in
      the
     
     
      upper
      level
      of
      the
      Barn,
      attracted
     
     
      approximately
      150
      people.
      Organizers
     
     
      Ali
      and
      Neatby
      expressed
      pleasant
     
     
      surprise
      at
      the
      strong
      turn-out.
     
    

    
     
      “(The
      turn-out]
      was_
      better
     
     
      than
      we
      expected,”
      noted
      Ali.
      Both
     
     
      Neatby
      and
      Ali
      were
      particularly
     
     
      impressed
      by
      an
      early
      and
      consistent
     
     
      attendance
      throughout
      the
      duration
      of
     
     
      the
      concert.
     
    

    
     
      Morrison,
      speaking
      on
      behalf
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      the
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
      Region
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Canadian
      Red.
      Cross,
      was
      also
     
     
      enthused
      by
      the
      campaign’s
      success.
     
     
      “This
      is
      really
      appreciated,”
     
     
      he
      added,
      “It’s
      people
      like
      you
      who
      do
     
     
      these
      things.”
     
     
      Morrison
      explained
      that
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Port
      Citizen
      Pete.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      proceeds
      will
      go
      first
      to
      the
      Canadian
     
     
      Red
      Cross
      national
      office,
      and
      will
     
     
      then
      be
      sent
      to
      the
      local
      Afghanistan
     
     
      centre.
      Under
      the
      current
      management
     
     
      of
      a
      “Swiss
      gentleman,”
      the
      money
     
     
      raised
      “goes
      to
      purchase
      whatever
      is
     
     
      needed.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “It’s
      going
      to
      be
     
     
      going
      on
      for
      a
     
     
      long
      time.”
     
     
      -Wally
      Morrison
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Food
      is
      one
      of
      the
      outstand-
     
     
      ing
      problems,
      along
      with
      clothing
      due
     
     
      to
      the
      weather,”
      he
      said,
      adding
      that
     
     
      there
      is
      a
      current
      emphasis
      on
      improv-
     
     
      ing
      sanitation.
      Morrison
      also
     
     
      explained
      that
      “[the
      Red
      Cross]
      buy
     
     
      everything
      as
      locally
      as
      they
      can”
      in
     
     
      order
      to
      support
      the
      regional
      economy.
     
    

    
     
      ‘ne
      =
      need"
      for
      “relief
      “in
     
     
      Afghanistan
      continues
      to
      be
      a
      pressing
     
     
      issue
      within
      the
      Canadian
      Red
      Cross,
     
     
      Morrison
      continued.
     
    

    
     
      “lhe
      situation
      hasn’t
     
     
      improved
      at
      all.
      If
      anything,
      it
      has
      got-
     
     
      ten
      worse.”
     
    

    
     
      “The
      fundraising
      has
      been
     
    
   
   
    
     
      slow
      in
      North
      America,”
      he
      added,
      cit-
     
     
      ing
      that
      $3.2
      million
      has
      been
      donated
     
     
      in
      Canada
      so
      far
      ($29,000
      of
      this
      on
     
     
      P.E.I.)
      In
      contrast,
      within
      two
      months,
     
     
      $17
      million
      was
      donated
      by
      Canadians
     
     
      toward
      the
      WTC
      disaster
      relief
      fund.
     
     
      As
      a
      result,
      the
      Canadian
      Red
     
     
      Cross
      will
      be
      increasing
      their
      efforts
     
     
      to
      reach
      a
      $20
      million
      dollar
      goal
      for
     
     
      relief
      to
      Afghanistan,
      Morrison
      said.
     
     
      “It’s
      going
      to
      be
      going
      on
      for
      a
     
     
      long
      time,”
      Morrison
      said,
      in
      refer-
     
     
      ence
      to
      the
      ongoing
      program.
     
     
      Incidentally,
      he
      added,
      the
     
     
      Red
      Cross
      has
      been
      working
      in
     
     
      Afghanistan
      for
      sixteen
      years.
     
     
      “It
      always
      has
      to
      be
      some
     
     
      major
      catastrophe
      before
      it
      opens
      peo-
     
     
      ple’s
      eyes.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “The
      fundraising
     
     
      has
      been
      slow
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      North
      America.”
     
     
      -Wally
      Morrison
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Another
      project
      may
      be
     
     
      undertaken
      by
      the
      group
      in
      the
      spring
     
     
      as
      a
      part
      of
      their
      ongoing
      concern
      for
     
     
      relief
      to
      Afghanistan.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [3]