Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Cleanup Efforts Prompt Action by Remington College – Mobile Campus

Mobile student Kathryn A. Davis makes a food donation.

As we’ve been reading in the headlines, the U.S. Gulf Coast region has faced tremendous struggles in dealing with the after-effects of the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill.

Remington College – Mobile Campus, located in the heart of the Gulf Coast area, is doing its part to help. The Campus’s efforts have been led admirably by Mobile Campus Executive Assistant Kristy King.

“Some folks around town were organizing drives, and we wanted to offer our help in a way that would do the most good for our community. So I contacted Mobile Baykeeper (an environmental group leading Mobile’s cleanup efforts with BP and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab) and asked them what needs they have for the oil spill cleanup efforts,” said Ms. King.

She then quickly took action, setting up a table in the Campus’s student lounge and operating it from June 30 to July 9, primarily during break periods and after classes were dismissed. This donation effort also included collecting canned goods.

Before long, the Campus had raised money from students, faculty, and staff. And that amount was matched dollar for dollar by the Remington College Community Matching Funds Program, for a total donation of $360.

Additionally, more than 100 cans of non-perishable items were collected and donated to the Bay Area Food Bank, which is experiencing a shortage due to the oil spill and the number of people out of work and in need of the basics many of us take for granted.

Ms. King said, “We decided to donate the money so that Mobile Baykeeper can use it in the way they need it the most – however that is. I have no doubt that they are looking out for the best interests of our bay and our estuaries.”

Mobile students and donors Hope Riley, Latrease Young, Ashley Rester, Candice Moore, Lauren Wilkinson, Tenisha Lynch, Jamarcus Bradfield, and Brittany Havard, along with Iris Wells (Instructor)

She believes that the organization may use the dollars raised to purchase digital cameras and handheld GPS navigation units that will be sent out with volunteers on kayaks, canoes, and small vessels.

The cameras will be used to take pictures of the impacted areas. The GPS units will be used to help the smaller vessels navigate the area safely and efficiently.

“The Mobile Baykeeper organization was delighted that we contacted them with our idea to donate,” said Ms. King, adding, “I am proud of and humbled by the response we received from our student body to our request for donations. All along the Gulf Coast, folks are realizing that we won’t get through this without pulling together, and this is just another example of that. Nothing can stop you when you come together to help your community. We will overcome this.”

For more information on Mobile Baykeeper’s efforts in the Gulf and how you can help, visit http://www.mobilebaykeeper.org/. For information on Remington College – Mobile Campus and its programs, visit http://www.remingtoncollege.edu/mobile.