Dear Colleagues,
As we all know, our Colorado State University community has not been spared by the High
Park Fire near Fort Collins. Nearly 100 of our students, professors, and employees have been displaced, and some have had their homes destroyed by the fire. Some of our CSU family members have been fighting on the fire lines since June 9, protecting the homes of their friends and neighbors while their own have burned to the ground.
This dedication, selflessness, and strength are hallmarks of CSU and among the reasons I am
so proud to be a part of this community. But I also know that strong, self-reliant people can have
a tough time asking for help.
So, I’m doing it for them.
These folks – our CSU family members – need your help. They need your help dealing with the loss and trauma. They need your help to replace what they have lost in the fire. They need your help in facing both the small and large challenges of this life-changing experience.
We have now set up a fund, CSUCares, that will allow us to offer emergency funds to CSU students and employees who need help recovering from the fire. Unlike other very important emergency funds such as the Red Cross, the CSUCares fund will be devoted to assisting only full- and part-time CSU employees and students, and retirees. It’s a way for our University community to take care of its own. Many of us who aren’t out on the fire lines have felt helpless and at a loss as to how we can assist – and this is one way to contribute that will make a real and tangible difference to our colleagues and friends who are hurting.
I invite you to make a gift through CSUCares to help our co-workers and students get back on their feet. Your assistance will give a hand up to our neighbors and friends who have lost so much. The funds raised will be distributed directly as grants through a streamlined application process, helping to cover at least some expenses not covered by insurance on a case-by-case, family-by-family basis. While this fund will be used now to assist those impacted by the High Park Fire, it will remain in place to assist those in the CSU community who are impacted by future disasters. Over the years, I have watched the CSU campus rally around its students, employees, and co-workers in times of need. This is one of those times to show how much CSU really does care.
Thanks,
-tony
Dr. Tony Frank
Click here for resources for CSU students and employees impacted by the fire.
Click here for frequently asked questions.
Colorado Division of Emergency Management and Colorado Voluntary Organization Active in Disaster partnership. This initiative brings together government agencies and nonprofit organizations so they may better assist communities affected by disasters.
Serves the upper third of Colorado, including areas affected by the High Park Fire.
Providing temporary shelter for cats, small mammals, and farm animals (the size of a goat or smaller) displaced due to the High Park Fire.