To raise money for the those affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Sacramento Indian community put together “Restoring Hope: A Katrina Relief Effort” Saturday night in the University Ballroom.

The coordinators of the event, Tim Smith, the director of the Sacramento Christian Fellowship, and John Balachandra, professor of electrical and electronic engineering, organized this event in two weeks, after the hurricane hit the southern states in late August.

The event started with a prayer led by Smith, followed by Balachandra who proceeded to tell his story to the crowd.

Balachandra was near the beach when the second tsunami struck the island of Sri Lanka on Dec. 26, 2004. He noted that if he were closer to the shore, he would be among the 31,000 Sri Lankans who died during the disaster.

“I have a second lease on life,” Balachandra said. “As a gratitude for all the help and relief that the United States gave Sri Lanka and following the tsunami, we are putting this event together to help with Hurricane Katrina.”

Balachandra stayed in Sri Lanka for six weeks after the disaster to help in relief efforts. He came back to California in time for the spring semester.

He also wants to make sure that Hurricane Katrina and its victims would not follow in the fate of the tsunami and be forgotten. “As we’ve seen with the tsunami, it’s out of people’s minds,” Balachandra said. “We need to keep awareness of Hurricane Katrina.”

“I think it’s really good that he’s doing this,” said Kyle Marks, a senior graphic design major. “It’s amazing how much people are doing for those people from the hurricane.”

During the event, there were several cultural dance sequences and a fashion show. The fashion showed cultural and modern dresses for Indian men and women.

The donations of the event would be going towards “Five for Life,” a Sacramento State program that encourages different groups to raise $5,500 towards the hurricane victims. If the goal amount is reached, ASI and the Maloofs will match the donation. All proceeds go to the American Red Cross for the victims on the Gulf Coast.