MIAMI (September 18, 2017) – Almost two weeks ago members of the FIU football team, along with over 100 student-athletes from eight FIU athletics programs, relocated to Birmingham, Alabama, due to the wrath of Hurricane Irma. The Panthers found themselves to be evacuees. On Monday, several members of the football team helped to brighten the day of some Monroe County special needs evacuees who made their way from the devastation of the Florida Keys.
The Panthers joined members of the U.S. Public Health Service, and Monroe County Fire and Rescue, in assisting in any way possible. Mostly, however, the players biggest asset was simply lifting the spirits of the evacuees, with simple conversation and taking the resident's minds off the destruction that awaits them in the Keys.
During Hurricane Irma, FIU provided safety to more than 500 Monroe County evacuees, including 139 human beings with special needs. Managed by Monroe County, the Florida Department of Health, the American Red Cross, and the U.S. Public Health Service, the shelter at the university's Wellness & Recreation Center – and later the Ocean Bank Convocation Center and PG6 – became their temporary home.
And it was not only athletics making an impact, but students and staff assisted the less fortunate as well. Throughout this week, they have stepped in numerous times to lift the spirits of the evacuees. Jazz students, members of the FIU Marching Band and the Amernet String Quartet performed for them. Later in the week a group of voice students performed children's songs. These performances brought some to tears and inspired others to show immense gratitude.
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Riccardo Silva Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a "R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity" and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as business, engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy and is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine's "America's Best Employers" list. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU's Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute. FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
