By snoadmin
As students trickled into the Long Beach State vs. Cal State Fullerton game Wednesday night, they gripped onto their free black t-shirts and made a pit stop by the concession stands to sign get-well cards and donate money for a fellow student.
Associated Students Inc. Senator-at-Large Manuel Nieto and ASI Secretary for Disability Affairs Andrew Carnes worked together with help from the Inner Fraternity Council (IFC) to organize a donation booth for CSULB senior nutrition major Elizabeth Ramos. The table stood near the front entrance of the Walter Pyramid, allowing students to stop by, donate and write a card for Ramos.
Ramos was hit by a car while jogging down Bellflower Boulevard on Feb. 4 at approximately 2 p.m., according to Public Information Officer Nancy Pratt. Doctors at St. Mary Medical Center sedated Ramos to unconsciousness so she could properly heal from her injuries the day after accident, according to her father, Vincent Ramos.
“We thought of the idea two days after [the accident] happened,” Carnes said. “We’re hoping all students will see [the booth].”
About 1,700 to 2,000 students were expected to fill the Pyramid for the blackout game, Nieto said. Students stopped by the booth to donate cash or checks in a yellow envelope. If students did not have money to spare, they would still offer their time to draw on vibrant sheets of paper and write caring messages, crafting get-well cards.
“Any words of encouragement, even if they are from someone you don’t know, are helpful,” senior anthropology and human development major Bree Whitney said. “I hope it helps with her recovery.”
Freshman pre-nursing major Patrisha Hastings said that when her own sister was hospitalized, greeting cards and encouragement would brighten up her day.
“[My sister] was smiling,” Hastings said. “Being in the hospital is not fun … if I was in [Elizabeth Ramos’s] shoes, it would help me heal. You don’t have to know her to care.”
Vincent Ramos visited the booth with Lydia Ramos and senior nutrition major Theresa Nguyen, Elizabeth Ramos’s mother and best friend, respectively. Elizabeth Ramos is in stable condition, and her recovery is going well, her father said.
“Today has been the best day for me,” Vincent Ramos said, visiting the booth after he left from visiting his daughter at the hospital. “She is doing very well … it’s going to be a long process.”
According to Vincent Ramos, Elizabeth Ramos can now open her eyes slightly and breathe for two hours at a time without the help of a ventilator. Injuries on her arms and her leg have yet to heal, Vincent Ramos said.
Lidya Ramos, who spends about 15 to 16 hours in the hospital with her husband and daughter, also visited the booth.
“It’s so touching,” she said. “There’s no words that can describe what we feel. The students are amazing. They are not self-centered … they are more giving.”
According to Carnes, the IFC will throw in an extra donation. The sum will come from IFC accounts, which are composed of fraternity and sorority dues that pay for Greek affairs.
“Whatever we can donate, we will,” Carnes said.
Students can stop by the ASI offices in University Student Union room 311 to drop off donations Thursday and Friday. Checks, cash and greeting cards are welcomed.
