Thoughts and Prayers for Support Comfort and Healing

In the past week, we have been reminded of the enormous power of nature to disrupt and damage, as well as the extraordinary capability of people to persevere and come together to heal and rebuild. The broader Gonzaga community has been deeply affected by tragedies of natural devastation: multiple widespread wildfires in our Spokane region that have displaced families and destroyed homes; Tropical Storm Hilary brought torrential rains and flooding to Southern California, followed by a 5.1 magnitude earthquake; and the long and painful recovery from the recent Hawai’ian wildfires is only just beginning. These are all areas of our country that our GU community calls home, and many families have been affected.

We are actively working to reach out to those who were impacted by the recent evacuations in Eastern Washington, and any of our community needing assistance in Southern California, Nevada, and other affected areas. We are aware of three members of our GU family in Hawai’i who are safe but have experienced great devastation to their homes and belongings. And since the devastation in Lahaina, Maui, we have been working to be in contact with our 68 Hawaiian students and numerous local alumni to offer our support.

We are reaching out today as we have received many messages from alumni and friends asking how they can help, and we offer these resources should you be interested in providing assistance: 

• If you would like to make a gift to assist students with emergency relief, please direct your giving to Gonzaga’s Completion Fund, a fund established to assist students facing unexpected hardship and administered by the Financial Aid Office.
•  If you are interested in supporting our alumni or GU employees impacted by these tragedies, please reach out to alumni@gonzaga.edu to be connected with various opportunities.

If you or a loved one needs the most up-to-date information on how the fires will impact campus operations, or if you’re looking for additional resources, please visit Gonzaga’s emergency webpage. Additionally, if you have been impacted or displaced by the fires in our community, please email benefits@gonzaga.edu to identify possible resources to help during this challenging time.

Let us join together in prayer for our Gonzaga community members and all of those affected by the devastation of these natural disasters. We ask that you please keep these communities, brave responders, and all those who have been impacted in your thoughts and prayers for safety, relief, and well-being.

“Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.” -Romans 12:12