Many students offer to volunteer at the shelter for refugees on campus

Jon de Ruijter, director of Erasmus Sport stated that allready 120 students offered to help as a volunteer to welcome the refugees in the sports building.

Erasmus University will probably welcome 200 refugees in the sports building on Thurday night. This afternoon the sports building was evacuated in a short amount of time so preperations could be made to welcome the refugees. The Red Cross and the Salvation Army are taking lead in this operation. Offers from students to help came in massively.

“The whole community is involved”

Earlier this evening De Ruijter gave a tour to the attending press. One of the questions was if the shelter would give any inconvenience to students who want to work out this weekend. “In perspective of what the refugees have experienced, the disadvantages for students are minimal. The students just have to skip one or two training sessions. Most of the students showed a lot of empathy. The whole community is involved. A lot of the sports teams of the university already offered to help.”

Business Student Bonny van Rooijen was at the sports building this afternoon when the building was cleared by setting off the fire alarm. He quickly went back home to get a pair of work boots and gloves. “I don’t have money to give, but I’m strong and healthy and willing to help tonight.”

Students are not deployed tonight

The students who want to volunteer will not be called in tonight. Probably they will be deployed at tomorrow’s leisure activities. Meanwhile, an increasing amounts of students are asking what they can do at the shelter.

The municipality will probably publish a telephone number so people can sign up to offer a helping hand.