Friends Liz Harris Scruggs and Cora Miller, both Islander Middle School seventh-graders, spent their Labor Day weekend making and selling baked goods to benefit the Red Cross and hurricane relief efforts. They raised over $400 and personally delivered the money to the downtown Seattle Red Cross headquarters after school on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

There are many ways to help.

Island churches and synagogues are already in high gear collecting money and supplies for the people affected by Hurricane Katrina. Most are working with their national organizations to pool funds and resources to funnel to hurricane victims.

A sample of regional agencies collecting funds and dispatching resources includes: The American Red Cross at www.seattleredcross.org., Northwest Medical Teams at nwmedicalteams.org, Mercy Corps, www.mercycorps.org, The Salvation Army at salvationarmyusa.org, and the Humane Society, www.humanesociety.org.

Washington Mutual Bank and Banner Bank on the Island are also collecting funds for the southern states affected by the storm.

Gov. Christine Gregoire has ordered that flags be flown at half mast until sunset Sept. 20 in honor of the victims.

1995 MIHS grad helping relief effort

Kirk Robinson, a 1995 graduate of Mercer Island High School and former Mercer Island volunteer firefighter, has been assigned to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

Robinson, a graduate of Westmont College and a member of the Bothel Fire Department, was selected by FEMA as a relief worker in part because of his EMT certification and his fluency in Spanish and work in Mexico. Robinson has led mission trips for Mercer Island Presbyterian Church to Mexico and has participated in building more than 1,000 homes for the poor. He and three other fireman have undergone training in Atlanta and are now awaiting assignment. His deployment is for 30 days.