Students around campus have been volunteering. Here on campus “Hearts for Haiti” and “U-Night for Haiti” have both raised money for the relief effort.

Haiti isn’t the only benefactor of students’ volunteering. Several members of the OU community put their labors and skills to help an area family rebuilt their home with “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” last week.

Our generation is known for its apathy and short attention span, but many members of the OU community are proving some of these claims false and still fundraising nearly a month after the earthquake.

We need to keep up the good work.

A great deal of money has been raised to assist the relief, but not everyone has extra cash in these days of economic recession and tuition hikes.

Philanthropy is the capitalist method of volunteering, but when you don’t have money to send you can always dedicate your time and talents.

Both money and actions are very necessary for relieving the pains of disasters and poverty.

We need to remember the everyday problems that still need to help in the OU, Norman and Oklahoma communities, and there are many ways to help without opening your pocketbook.

You can donate your time to Food and Shelter for Friends, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Bridges, Habitat for Humanity or many of the other groups in the Norman area working to improve the community. You may donate your blood to the Red Cross/Crescent or the Oklahoma Blood Institute.

Let’s make the tragedy in Haiti into the spark that lights the fire of giving and keeps it burning all semester, all year and for the rest of our lives.

Despite its precarious history, not even Haiti will need our aid forever. But there are other causes to which we could donate and make our community, our nation and our world a better place.