Pakistani Student Association receives $5,000 aid donation

The Pakistani Student Association has surpassed its goal of raising $10,000 for victims of the Oct. 8 earthquakes in South Asia, thanks to a $5,000 donation from a local resident.\nThe gift, which comes two weeks after the PSA held a three-day fund-raising drive across campus, is the largest single donation to date, said Hassan Raza, chairman for the campaign. It brings the total amount raised to $10,800. \n"I was shocked looking at the amount of zeros on the check," he said. "I was shocked to see that someone would be so generous as far as giving a donation to people in another country."\nThe donor, a 41-year-old Brown County resident who wished to remain anonymous, said the images of suffering and the threat of more deaths from the upcoming Himalayan winter prompted her to give to the campaign. \n"I think there's something about the vision of people in these small mountainous communities who had so little and lost that and now with little time have a harsh winter to face," she said. "I have traveled in some impoverished countries and have a bit of an understanding ... of what poverty looks like, and it's not pretty."\nShe also expressed concern about the lack of action from international countries and nongovernmental organizations. \n"I can't imagine that most people could not give more if they understood that there's a possibility of so many people freezing from death or going hungry," she said, also admitting the number of other natural disasters this year. "I realize that the scope of the problem is huge, but my hope is that that money will help make at least some people's lives more manageable and provide them with an opportunity to start over again." \nThe money from the PSA's campaign will be sent to the Edhi Foundation, a Pakistani-based nonprofit organization, and the Pakistani President's Relief Fund, Raza said. Other events are planned for the future, such as a fund-raising dinner, although no date has been set at this point.