On Saturday, April 16, 2016, Ecuador was struck by a 7.8 Richter Scale earthquake, destroying part of its coast. There were hundreds of deaths and thousands of people missing, and great structural damage to buildings and roads. Several countries united to help Ecuador with donations, including the United States. The Ecuadorian Embassy located in Miami gave power to certain organizations in Florida to collect donations such as water, canned food, clothes and some medicine. On Monday, April 18 the International Club at St. Petersburg College decided to be part of the change and started to gather donations.

Flyers were posted around campus along with two donation boxes located in International Office and the Quad. Staff, students, and teachers were more than eager to help out. On Thursday, April 21, the donations were ready to go to the Ecuadorian Club located in Tampa. The International Office was full to the brim with boxes of generously donated items. People were coming with many different types of packages ranging from canned foods to clothing. It took International Programs members two car-loads to bring everything to the donation center in Tampa.

“When we got to the Ecuadorian Club, I saw something that made me more proud of being Ecuadorian. I saw a huge group of people wearing the Ecuadorian shirt helping out, organizing the donations, putting everything together so it can be ready to ship it to the Ecuadorian Embassy so they can ship it to Ecuador. It was a wonderful experience, it made me feel that in some way I was helping out my country and my people. I couldn’t have done it without the help and support of all the teachers, staff and alumni at St. Petersburg College!” – Domenica Flores