Chicagoans come together to help victims of Colombia earthquake
Organizations throughout Chicagoland have been racing to gather donations to help victims of the recent earthquake in Colombia.
From community groups to Chicago police officers, the ties between Chicago and Colombia are strong.
For many Chicagoans, close family and friends are among those struggling after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Colombia, killing 273 people, injuring more than 3,800 others, and leaving almost 400 missing, according to the Colombian National Unit for Disaster Risk Management. Civilian-run databases put the number of missing at more than 4,100. Nearlly 26,000 families were affected, according to Colombia’s president.
People in the Chicago area have been stepping up to help victims of the earthquake. At the nonprofit PASO in Melrose Park, the arrival of donations for Colombian earthquake victims has been overwhelming.
“I just wouldn’t have thought this much would’ve been donated, so it’s nice to see,” said PASO operations associate Sofia Sanchez. “The first day they started packing, I came back, and I had seen everything, and I was actually really proud and happy to see that the community has come together to donate so much.”
Sanchez said some of her colleagues are from Colombia and still have family there. Images of the earthquake’s aftermath have been difficult to watch.
PASO’s efforts to gather donations, which will head to Colombia on Monday, leave them knowing they are making a difference.
“We just want to help the community in any ways that we can, and obviously it does go a long way for them,” Sanchez said.
Chicago police officer Scott Florez is president of the Chicago Police Department Soccer Club. The group has visited Colombia for humanitarian efforts in the past.
“Colombia is deep in our hearts,” he said. “Manizales is one of the cities that was most affected, and we’ve traveled there, and we’ve bonded with the families, and they’ve asked for our help.”
The club is hosting a fundraising event on Aug. 23, with free food and music at the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge #7 in the West Loop. All proceeds go to relief efforts in Colombia, an effort Florez said has an important impact.
“It just shows how powerful Chicago can be to help another, to help other cities, and that to me is amazing,” he said.
PASO will continue collecting donations between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at 501 W. North Av. in Melrose Park. They will be accepting primarily personal hygiene, nonperishable food, diapers, baby formula, cleaning supplies, flashlights and batteries, etc. They are not accepting shoes, clothing, or perishable food.
The Chicago Police Department Soccer Club fundraiser will be held from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Aug. 23 at FOP Lodge #7 at 1412 W. Washington Blvd.