Students and community members gathered in SUNY-ESF’s Marshall Hall on Saturday night to support disaster relief efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Acorns to Action, a student-run disaster relief group, organized the Blue Tarp Party. The event was designed to bring attention to the many Puerto Rican homes still roofed by blue tarps following the Hurricane Maria disaster. As of December, only 26% of individuals who applied for temporary roof installations from the Federal Emergency Management Agency received one.

Donations for roof repair efforts were collected at the door, followed by an evening of food, music and guest speakers. The event included performances of spoken poetry, piano and local bands Trash, and Bike Lanes on Euclid.

“We were excited to perform in support of such a good cause,” said Connor McCourt, sophomore at ESF and member of Trash.

Last year, Acorns to Action organized a powerless “Blackout: Empower Puerto Rico” party to raise awareness and funds for the lack of electricity immediately following Hurricane Maria.

“We wanted to plant the seed of awareness that these issues can affect anybody,” said Paulina Casasola, co-president of Acorns to Action. “If you live in an impoverished area or with limited resources, it’s always harder to recover.”

Acorns to Action has maintained a special relationship with Puerto Rico, and more specifically, the island of Vieques. The group has organized and volunteered for two different service trips to the region. Volunteers worked with community members on service tasks, allowing the community and volunteers to develop personal connections. Members observed first-hand impacts of the natural disaster.

Lindsay Eberhart, an Acorns to Action member, said the organization allowed her to return the assistance once given to her and her family following Hurricane Sandy.

“The club allows me to pay it forward to the volunteers and support groups who were there for us in our time of need,” she said.

About 60 students and community members attended the event, raising more than $300 to be donated to hands-on relief organizations local to Puerto Rico.

Acorns to Action Co-president Korianne Cosgrove described the club’s goal of continuing to serve and fundraise for any future community in need.

“We plan to continue our relationship with Puerto Rico’s residents and with any region impacted by a natural disaster,” she said.

Published on March 31, 2019 at 11:26 pm

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