Board games for Katrina's young victims

Boxes of brightly colored board games will soon be headed for children affected by Hurricane Katrina thanks to the efforts of faculty, staff and students at Pittsburg State University. A Wal-Mart truck is scheduled to pick the games up at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the Weede Physical Education Building on the PSU campus.

Dr. Chuck Killingsworth, a member of the faculty in PSU’s Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, said the unusual collection grew out of an e-mail message he received from a southern colleague following the hurricane.

“As I understand it,” Killingsworth said, “the collection of Board Games for Bored Kids began at an elementary school in Mobile, Ala. The thought was that all of these displaced children needed some activities that would be fun and would brighten their lives just a bit.”

Killingsworth said the idea appealed to him and he offered it to the students and the wider campus community. Several large boxes of games have been collected, Killingsworth said, and Wal-Mart agreed to deliver the games for free. The games are going to the Baton Rouge, La., Parks and Recreation Department. Killingsworth said that Baton Rouge has large numbers of hurricane evacuees and the games can be put to good use there.

“It may not be a large thing,” Killingsworth said, “but it is just one more small thing we can do to help people who have such great need.”

For information, please contact Dr. Killingsworth at 620-235-4670, ckilling@pittstate.edu.

---Pitt State---