Alexandra Mayer probably could have kept filling out college applications between piano lessons and second year calculus homework when she read about the toxic flood of red sludge in Hungary in early October.

Instead, the Kentlake senior decided to do something about it because this disaster hit close to home, or more specifically her mother’s hometown of Ajka, Hungary.

“This time, my relatives were affected by it, and this is my home country,” Mayer said. “I’ve walked through those towns and those people don’t have a lot of money. This is just awful what happened because they didn’t deserve that.”

According to media reports, on Oct. 4 the reservoir of an alumina plant burst. It flooded towns with toxic red sludge, killing nine, injuring dozens while others went missing. Ajka is in western Hungary and is 100 miles southwest of the country’s capital, Budapest.

The sludge was made up of aluminum production waste and contained heavy metals. It could be toxic if ingested and most commonly caused burns.

Mayer’s family moved to Canada from Hungary before she was born and then settled in the Seattle area when she was 6 or 7 years old. She speaks, reads and writes Hungarian fluently.

After reading about the red sludge, Mayer went to school the next day and talked to classmates about it, only to discover no one else had heard about the disaster. She knew it would be out of the headlines in a day or two.

So, she decided to do something.

“I read in the paper that this woman… she only gets $500 a year, her husband had died and all of her livestock had died (in the sludge flood),” she said. “I saw a man on the news, he’s actually a relative of mine, saying his wife had to hold their baby up to save the baby or else the baby would’ve died. So, I just wanted to help out in any way possible. Even something small could make a difference.”

But, Mayer wasn’t quite sure where to start. So, she talked to her father, who is also a musician, and to social studies teacher Theresa Turner about what she could do to help and “they thought it was a great idea.”

She connected with the Hungarian American Association of Washington and “they helped out a lot, they thought it was a great idea, too,” Mayer said.

As a member of the Kentlake jazz band and wind ensemble, she thought a benefit concert may be the way to go.

“Music is a part of me,” Mayer said. “The jazz band was basically the main idea, to bring the Kentlake Jazz Band in there, from there I just came up with ideas. The Hungarian American Association helped a lot with the planning.”

And Mayer credits her parents with helping, too, explaining it was a team effort.

On Sunday, Nov. 14, the fundraiser was hosted at Mercer Island Congregational Church.

Before the event started, Mayer said, they had raised $2,700. Nearly 100 people attended.

“I was really excited,” she said. “I was just nervous about how many people would show up. I really just wanted it to work out because these people needed the help.”

The church allowed them to use the facility for free, Mayer said, and the support of the Hungarian American Association of Washington was invaluable.

“We started out with a video about the sludge, which was pretty impactful,” Mayer said. “There was issues before and so it talked about the history of it. It’s amazing but in an awful how they should have dealt with it.”

From there the Kentlake Jazz Band played while Judity Cohen, a good friend of her family, played piano.

There was also a performance by the Hungarian Folk Dance group.

“They did a really good job,” Mayer said. “They really brought out the culture.”

More than $5,000 was raised and donations are still coming in, Mayer said, which she’s happy about.

“It’s just amazing, people who didn’t make it to the concert sent money and people are still donating,” she said. “We picked out four families that we thought the money would help the most.”

Her father will be flying out in two weeks to personally deliver the money.

“Hungarians treasure their homes,” she said. “Some people are still living in town hall. There are people who won’t be able to spend Christmas at home. And with the environmental impacts… it’s not one of those things you expect to happen in the 21st century.”

Mayer said she is thrilled to be able to help people affected in her native country.

“People came up to me (after the concert) and they were crying,” she said. “We had this other Hungarian celebration before the event and people of all ages came up to me and said they appreciated what I was doing. It was just an amazing feeling that I was helping these people.”

The Hungarian Association of Washington is still accepting donations. For more information call 206-340-0706, send e-mail to info@hungarianamerican.org or log on to www.hungariaamerican.org.