A wave of relief for islands

TAYLORSVILLE — All day, the cars pulled up in front of City Hall.

Trunks popped open and hands reached inside, pulling out supplies to send to friends and family members in the tsunami-devastated Pacific Islands.

Among the few dozen volunteers helping with the Samoa Relief Wave, some were still waiting to hear from family members on the islands. Still others already had received terrible news from Samoa and Tonga.

But with each carload of bottled water and canned tuna fish, tents and tennis shoes, the volunteers laughed and smiled.

"Thank you very much," Dorothy Faasou, the woman everyone calls Aunt Dofi, would sing and clap with each new donation. "Thank you."

It took nearly a week after the tsunami that killed at least 150 people in American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga before Faasou heard from her family in the islands.

"They are safe," she said.

Tufui Taukeiaho, of West Valley City is still waiting on word from his cousin.

"We don't know how she's doing," he said. "We're hoping that she calls us."

But Taukeiaho and others said the outpouring of donations and support Thursday helped lift spirits in the state's Polynesian communities.

"Everyone is upbeat and optimistic," he said. "They don't really want to talk about the bad things. We're moving on but still remembering them."

"It's our culture to be positive," Faasou added. "We're known in the Pacific as the 'happy people.' "

With more than 6,000 Samoans living in the state, according to the latest U.S. Census numbers, Utah has certainly felt the impact of the tsunami.

"Students are walking into my office in tears," said Dave Kinikini, the Pacific Islander coordinator for the University of Utah's Center for Ethnic Student Affairs. From professors to U. football Coach Kyle Whittingham, Kinikini has asked campus leaders to "look for the long faces" among Polynesian students and direct them to the school's counseling services.

But already, Kinikini said he has seen students turn to positive outlets. For example, some are selling traditional leis to raise money, and an office in the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs is fast filling up with donations.

Outside of City Hall in Taylorsville, Senerita Auva'a, who helped organize the Samoa Relief Wave effort, said the truckloads of supplies would be on their way to the Pacific Islands by Saturday afternoon.

"We want to thank everyone," she said. "Originally, this was a Polynesian thing. But the people of Utah have really come out to help. The support from the community, everybody, has been tremendous."

e-mail: afalk@desnews.com