LEWISTON – Members of the Bates College community have donated more than $16,000 in response to the Katrina Relief Initiative, a fundraiser spearheaded by Bates students, faculty and staff, and supported by the Office of the Chaplain and the Harward Center for Community Partnerships.

Of the $16,472 raised, $8,400 comprised cash donations, said Harward Center Director David Scobey, who announced the final results of the effort organized by Bates students in the days following Hurricane Katrina.

The initiative will donate 70 percent of the cash to the American Red Cross for Gulf Coast relief, and 30 percent will be distributed locally for heating assistance to families in need, Scobey said.

The $8,072 balance of the total was donated by Bates contributors directly to relief agencies. “KRI deserves our thanks for leading this philanthropic effort and for the additional educational and community-building work they did. It was inspiring to see their leadership, compassion, hard work and creativity,” Scobey said.

Initiative student organizer Christopher Petrella, a senior from Somers, Conn., valued the initiative experience for strengthening his sense of community.

For more information about the initiative, call 786-6202.