DAMIEN STUDENTS RAISING MONEY

Damien Memorial School students are attempting to collect several thousand dollars in the next 10 days for 127 Mississippi school children left homeless by Hurricane Katrina.

Money raised by the Damien students will be used to buy clothes, school supplies, rent portable classrooms and add faculty at St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School in Jackson where the Mississippi students were enrolled.

Contact Roxane Goo in the school's development office at 841-0195.

VIGIL PLANNED FOR FRIDAY AFTERNOON

The Church of the Crossroads will hold a prayer vigil for Hurricane Katrina victims from 3 to 6 p.m. on Friday.

For more information, call 949-2220.

LOCAL RED CROSS COLLECTS $600,000

The Hawai'i chapter of the American Red Cross has collected about $600,000 for victims of Hurricane Katrina as of late yesterday afternoon.

Cassandra Isidro, chief operating officer of the Hawai'i chapter, said she believes Hawai'i residents have given more than that because the chapter has been referring people to the national Red Cross Web site and its phone numbers.

"Hawai'i has been a lot more generous than what we've seen in hand here," Isidro said.

To donate money through the Hawai'i chapter, phone 734-2101 or see www.hawaiiredcross.org.