The Penn volleyball team has taken a crucial step toward disaster relief for last week's victims by setting up a donation fund for the firefighters and police in New York City.
"We wanted to do something to help and we found a way," coach Kerry Major wrote in an e-mail. "My volleyball alumni e-mailed me [stating] that they were starting up contributions to the new NYC Firefighters, Police, EMS Fund."
The alumni did so because of their personal connection with New York City Firefighter Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, father of Pamela Von Essen Keller, a 1990 Penn graduate of the College and volleyball alumna.
"Mr. Von Essen is fine, but lost many friends due to this tragedy," Major wrote.
The current Penn volleyball team also wanted to help out with this tragedy in any way possible.
The Quakers took the $700 they had set aside from their camp salaries during the summer-- originally intended for a trip to Disneyland while they were on a three-game road swing in California that was canceled in light of the tragedy-- and donated the money to that fund.
"I know the team feels good about this as we were not able to contribute physically to helping people," Major wrote. "We feel a lot of people need our money more than us right now."
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