OU to hold campus water drive to support Flint residents

Campus water drive for Flint extended through Feb. 19
Flint Water Drive
The OU community is holding a water drive to benefit Flint residents from Wednesday, Feb. 17 - Friday, Feb. 19. (OU students pictured from left: Chinyere Byrd, Hannah Clark, Nick Kim and Nick Walter.)

As Flint residents continue to grapple with a contaminated water supply, the Oakland University community is stepping up to support its neighbors to the north.  The university will hold a water drive to benefit Flint residents from Wednesday, Feb. 17 through Friday, Feb. 19. This campus event, dubbed “OU ♥ Flint,” will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

 

Campus community members and friends are invited to bring in bottled water, which will be transported to Flint and distributed to residents in need. Water can be dropped off at three campus locations:

 

  • End Lounge of the Oakland Center, near the Grizz Express store
  • Main lobby of the Campus Recreation Center
  • Oak View Hall at the Northwest side door, adjacent to lot P-5 (Drive-up location)

 

Irene Shabazz, a Flint native and OU employee in the Office of Undergraduate Education, is helping coordinate the drive.

 

“This is a great way for OU to show its support,” Shabazz said. “There are transportation issues for many citizens in Flint, especially for the elderly and parents with small children. OU’s contribution will play a major role in providing water that will be delivered to those that are most vulnerable. ”

 

Shabazz is not the only one on campus with a personal connection to the water crisis. Nearly 70 OU students and a handful of faculty and staff currently live in Flint.

 

In addition, students who donate bottled water can earn points for the Dean’s Choice Award competition, noted Jean Ann Miller, director of the Center for Student Activities and Leadership Development. “Each water bottle counts as one point.”

 

OU Facilities Management will transport the water to Flint, and it will be distributed to residents by three of the city’s churches:

 

 

Monetary donations will also be accepted at each of the campus drop-off locations and at the OU Credit Union, located just inside the north entrance of the Oakland Center. OU Credit Union will process the donations, which will be distributed among the three Flint churches to further support relief efforts.

 

Students who take part in the water drive will also have a chance to appear in a video, which will feature a message of support to Flint residents on behalf of OU. A camera will be set up at each drop-off location.

 

For additional information, contact Irene Shabazz at (248) 370-2571 or fox@oakland.edu.