Karen Woolie, an English sophomore major at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, has a dog, a cat and 30 fish at her parents’ home in West Monroe. Shortly before 9 a.m. today, she traveled to Shreveport with her fellow students and her professor to take care of “Louisiana’s pets.”

Dr. Wayne Brumfield, Vice President for Student Affairs (far right) wishes the ULM students and professor good luck as they prepare to leave for Shreveport Saturday morning. The volunteers include: Dr. Christopher Harris, assistant professor of English; sophomore English major Karen Woolie of West Monroe; sophomore computer science major Lauren Anderson of Baton Rouge; sophomore kinesiology major Ronnie Anderson of Baton Rouge; senior clinical laboratory science major Darnell Barbour from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.

“I really wanted to help the pets that will be affected by Hurricane Gustav because they’re like my pets — they are Louisiana’s pets.”

On Friday, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security issued a request to the state, asking for volunteers to work at a pet evacuation shelter, located on the Shreveport Fairgrounds. Volunteers will work 10-12 hour shifts today and possibly in the future. The request is in anticipation of Hurricane Gustav, which is expected to reach Louisiana early next week.

Ronnie Anderson, of Baton Rouge, fills out his volunteer sheet on the back of Lauren Anderson, also of Baton Rouge, Saturday morning.

ULM students, driven by Dr. Christopher Harris, assistant professor of English, answered the call. In addition to Woolie, the volunteers include: sophomore computer science major Lauren Anderson of Baton Rouge; sophomore kinesiology major Ronnie Anderson of Baton Rouge; senior clinical laboratory science major Darnell Barbour from Ellsworth Air Force Base in Ellsworth, South Dakota; and junior pre-nursing major Alysha Lee of Ringgold. Lee, a member of CAB, was already in Shreveport this morning and met her ULM family at the evacuation shelter.

A sea of kennels in the Shreveport pet shelter await pets from evacuated areas of south Louisiana.

Woolie, a member of ULM’s Campus Activities Board and Alpha Omicron Pi, remembered the devastation Louisiana suffered when Hurricane Katrina struck the state in 2005.

“I was too young to help then, but I knew I could help out now.”

Lauren Anderson volunteered because “it is the right thing to do.”

Ronnie Anderson, a ULM football player, said, “I know people are in need. I want to help my fellow Louisianans.”

For future updates on ULM’s relief efforts, visit www.ulm.edu/gustav

Photo courtesy.