Zags Give Back
Gonzaga Community Rallies to Support Neighbors Impacted by Spokane Fires
When wildfires forced families across the Spokane area from their homes, members of the Gonzaga University community responded in a way deeply rooted in the University's Jesuit mission: by turning concern into action.
In the days that followed, Gonzaga became more than a university campus. Residence halls became temporary homes. The Hemmingson Center became a donation hub. Faculty, staff, alumni and friends stepped forward with supplies, financial support and countless acts of service for neighbors facing uncertainty
It was Zags Give Back in action.
Gonzaga opened residence halls to evacuees, providing a safe place for employees and their families forced to leave their homes. By Monday, Aug. 3, Kennedy Apartments temporarily housed 160 Gonzaga employees and family members, along with 34 dogs, 15 cats and one pet bunny.
Elsewhere on campus, members of the Gonzaga community built care packages, made supply runs, ordered masks and collected air purifiers. A donation center was established in the Hemmingson Center to help connect needed items with those affected by the fires. Gonzaga also provided crisis counseling and created financial assistance and leave options for employees navigating the emergency.
GU volunteers and employees brought supplies from the donation center in Hemmingson to families displaced by the fires.
The University opened its doors to those serving on the front lines as well, providing on-campus housing for members of the National Guard supporting the regional response.
But the effort extended far beyond campus.
Alumni and friends across the country asked how they could help. Donations poured in to support those affected, with approximately $255,000 raised as the Gonzaga community rallied around its neighbors.
Among those gifts was a $10,000 check from a Gonzaga alumnus who works as a DoorDash Executive, a remarkable act of generosity that reflected a larger story unfolding throughout the response. Zags gave what they could, in the ways they could, because members of their community needed them.
That instinct to act is at the heart of a Jesuit education.
Jesuit teachings call us not simply to recognize suffering or express compassion, but to respond to it. To be people for and with others means putting faith and values into practice, particularly when our neighbors are in need.
A special mass was held at St. Aloysius on campus to pray for those impacted by the fires. President Katia Passerini attended and spoke with families.
During the Spokane fires, that commitment could be seen in residence halls filled with displaced families and their pets. It was there in boxes packed with supplies and in air purifiers collected for those breathing smoke-filled air. It was present in financial gifts, counseling services, supply runs and the simple act of opening a door to someone who suddenly needed a place to go.
Each action was different, but together they told the same story.
When our neighbors needed help, Zags showed up.
The fires brought fear, disruption and loss to communities throughout the Spokane area. But they also revealed the strength of a community willing to care for one another, not only in words but through action.
Zags Give Back is more than a phrase. In moments like these, it becomes a reflection of who we are and of the Jesuit values that call us to use our lives, our resources and our talents in service to others.
GU volunteers and employees handed out essential items in Hemmingson to families displaced by the fires.
Because when one part of our community is hurting, Zags don't stand on the sidelines.
They get to work.
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