USD Magazine Spring 2006

AROUND THE PARK

I CALM AFTER THE CHAOS Hurricanes, f loods, then f inal ly, a deluge of help: USD pi tches in by Krystn Shrieve [ h a v e m e r c y ] Bible verses or messages of hope. The e-mails were forwarded many times over. Before long, they’d collected 5,000 books.

“It was difficult seeing fellow Americans living on cots in the Convention Center and knowing they’d been there for weeks,” says Nespor, who returned early when she was evacuated because of Hurricane Rita. “I saw with fresh eyes and new conviction the role nurse practitioners can play, especially in managing people’s

Kozak traveled to Mississippi with one of LaForgia’s medical teams, where he met teammate Mary Kubota ‘99 (M.S.N. ‘00). Kozak and Kubota spent most of their two- week stint working at a makeshift clinic in a portable trailer in Gulf- port, Miss. Some patients were dehydrated; others needed tetanus shots or

n the days and weeks follow- ing Hurricane Katrina, USD stu- dents, faculty, administrators and alumni fanned out across the Gulf Coast region to help. They offered medical assistance, drove cross country to bring sup- plies, sent children’s books, found housing for displaced residents and made space in USD class-

Many of the books were taken to shelters by John Carrieri ‘91. Carrieri loaded up a truck with 12,000 pounds of supplies and drove in mid-September to shel- ters in Dallas to distribute every- thing from food, clothing and medicine to toiletries, luggage and books. He hopes to set up a Web site featuring stories of indi- viduals and families so that peo- ple can donate directly to them. “Eventually the media will for- get about Hurricane Katrina,” he says, “but I wanted to do some- thing that would keep this in the forefront of people’s minds for years to come.” One student who saw his share of heartache was Laurent Demosthenidy, one of USD’s 13 visiting students from the Gulf Coast. The third-year law student was here last semester from Tulane University. “The faculty has been very accommodating,” Demosthenidy says. “And, while I can’t say I’m glad to be here, I am in a much better situation than others who were affected.” Demosthenidy expects to go back to classes at Tulane this month. He says while conditions won’t be ideal, he’s looking for- ward to returning. “I owe something to New Orleans,” he says. “I want to help make it the place I loved.”

CORBIS

Members of the USD community provided solace to those in need in the Gulf Coast region, much like that given by the medical technician above, who helped comfort an elderly evacuee after Hurricane Katrina.

chronic illnesses.” Lisa (Anderson) Pigeon ‘89, a former elementary school teacher, was committed to send- ing children’s books to shelters throughout the region. She and sister Debra (Anderson) Cole ‘82 sent e-mails asking people to donate books inscribed with

medications for illnesses ranging from diabetes to schizophrenia. Sheryl Nespor, a nurse practi- tioner who teaches at USD’s School of Nursing, was a member of a Scripps Medical Response Team that saw nearly 600 patients a day at the Convention Center and area clinics in Houston.

rooms so that affected students could continue their education. Tom Kozak ‘86, who practices family medicine, had breakfast two days before Hurricane Katri- na hit with Barry LaForgia ‘76 (J.D.), head of a nonprofit organi- zation called International Relief Teams. Less than a week later,

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