As the tsunami death toll in Southeast Asia continues to rise — going past 150,000 on Saturday — and with tens of thousands still missing, a group of ISU students looks to do its part in helping provide relief to its victims.

“Some of these people have lost everything,” said Alison Lima, senior in biology.

Relief efforts on campus were jump-started by Lima, who is also president of the Student International Medical Aid Club. In the past, the organization has collected medical supplies to donate to clinics abroad.

Lima said she went down the list of campus clubs and organizations to look for ones that might be interested in helping out, a change from how the group usually operates.

She said she got a handful of organizations to jump on board, including the Pre-Medical Club, Golden Key International Honor Society, Time for Peace and Engineers for a Sustainable World.

The group of organizations and volunteers will be setting up booths and drop-boxes around campus for students to donate funds. Donations will be collected Tuesday and Wednesday.

Lima said she is working in conjunction with the Lincoln Way chapter of the American Red Cross, headed by Doug Yetman.

The volunteers are being separated into different committees to make the effort come together.

The city of Ames alone has already raised more than $13,000.

Lima said she would like to match the funds, but is realistically hoping for as much as they can get.

“I’m just trying to get the word out,” said Kristin Schipull, senior in materials engineering and president of Engineers for a Sustainable World.

In August, members of the Engineers for a Sustainable World traveled to Thailand to meet with locals about collaborating on long-term sustainable projects.

Relief efforts for the tsunami disaster have been widespread. Many organizations, even some on campus that might not have been mentioned, have dedicated their time and money.

Another student organization, Sankalp, which is a group of students from India, aside from helping Lima with her relief effort, will also be doing their own relief effort.

They will be sending money directly to India to provide long-term relief for the small budgets of the coastal citizens.

Ron Matthews, an Ames local and retiree of the Red Cross, has recently been recruited to join a team destined for Sri Lanka and possibly other affected areas to help provide relief.

“I would like to thank everyone for their messages of support, prayers, and contributions,” said Matthews in an e-mail written to friends.

“Your generosity is making it possible for our team to be on the front lines.”

Those involved in the upcoming fund-raising on campus all seemed to agree on having a sense of self-gratification.

“I’m glad that the university can come together and have a lot of people working on this,” Schipull said of the relief effort.