Vigil tonight for China earthquake victims

University of Washington student Ni Jiang is contacting media, trying to get word out about efforts to help victims of China's earthquake, including a vigil tonight at the UW.

Across the ocean, her fellow students Geoffrey Morgan and Steven Margitan have established an organization to raise funds — particularly from the UW community — to help China-based relief organizations in their work.

About a week after the 7.9-magnitude quake struck China's Sichuan province, the UW community — which has deep ties to the area — has established various ways to provide help.

About 500 people are expected at tonight's UW vigil, said Dawei Liu, president of the UW's Chinese Students and Scholars Association, one of vigil sponsors.

"It's my hometown," said Jiang, a UW sophomore and current Miss Chinatown USA. Jiang was born in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, and lived there until she was 14. "Many of the places I hear on the news — I know those places. I've been there."

In fact, her parents — who own Seven Stars Pepper restaurant in the International District — were in Chengdu when the earthquake struck.

They're fine, Jiang said. But "I couldn't even watch the news recently. Every time I watch it, I start crying."

In Chengdu, UW students Morgan and Margitan, along with others, have set up China Earthquake Aid, which aims to raise money in the U.S. to help China-based aid organizations.

Morgan and Margitan, who are exchange students at Sichuan University, said they felt compelled to stay in Chengdu after the quake.

"I did not feel comfortable saying goodbye to my host family and wishing them the best of luck in a danger area, while I evacuated to safety," Margitan said in an e-mail dispatch to The Seattle Times.

Margitan organized a trip to the blood bank for classmates and helped load buses with water and supplies for the hardest-hit areas.

In addition, they established their organization, they said, because non-profit groups in China are unable to accept foreign money. But an organization like China Earthquake Aid can purchase supplies and provide them to those Chinese groups, he said.

They hope to get materials to local nonprofits by the end of the week, Margitan said.