As the horrifying extent of the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina dawned on America last week, the community of Sisters rallied to raise funds for disaster relief.

For some Sisters residents the disaster hit very close to home as they waited anxiously for news of loved ones trapped in or attempting to flee New Orleans and other devastated areas.

The Sisters High School radio station 106.5 KZSO launched a week earlier than scheduled to conduct a “radiothon” to benefit the American Red Cross disaster relief effort (see related story, page 25).

The station ran its fund-raiser from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, September 2, and, according to program advisor Mike Gould, the effort raised between $6,500 and $6,700.

Gould and the students who worked at the station on Friday were stunned by the outpouring of response.

“I don’t think any one of the students, the administration people or me thought we’d get anywhere close to where we did,” Gould said. “$3,000 would have been a smashing success.”

Gould said the experience gave students experience “first hand (with) the power of the media. For them to say something on the radio and a half hour later there’s a check in a coffee can, that really shows them the power — and the responsibility.”

The local band, The Anvil Blasters, was designated as an official donation point for Northwest Medical Teams, which mobilized to provide emergency assistance in the Gulf Coast early last week.

Over the course of several shows on Labor Day Weekend, the band collected just over $2,000.

Donations may be made to http://www.nwmedicalteams.org.

On Sunday, a group of Sisters football players conducted a fund-raiser at Sisters Market — and pedaled around town for donations.

Bryan Snow, Nathan Jackson, Jared Hasskamp, Cory McCaffrey and Shyamma Ellis raised approximately $1,800.

Sisters Elementary School is conducting a raffle Wednesday, September 7 through Monday, September 19. Tickets are $1 and prizes include gift certificates from a number of Sisters merchants.

According to organizer Debbie Nippert, the company National Fabrication has offered to match funds up to $1,500.

Funds will be forwarded to Sisters Kiwanis Club and transferred to the American Red Cross.

The American Red Cross may be accessed at http://www.redcross.org.

A banner on The Nugget Web site (www.nuggetnews.com) links browsers to “Newspapers for New Orleans.com” a partnership of local newspapers across the country to provide donation points for the American Red Cross.

As always in the wake of disaster, there are scams. Donors are advised to be wary of anyone soliciting donations for disaster relief and to deal with reputable organizations.

The Washington Post reported that scammers are soliciting through the Internet.

An FBI official quoted in the story offered this advice: “People who want to make a donation or contribute to a cause should actively seek out reputable organizations and then contact them by telephone or by typing their Web address into a Web browser. The important point is that they initiate this contact on their own.”

With thousands upon thousands of evacuees expected to be out of their homes for a minimum of six to eight weeks, the need for emergency assistance will be ongoing and the Sisters community is expected to continue its outpouring of support.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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