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Irvine511

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on a positive note ...



Donations for Victims of Katrina Reach $404-Million
By Suzanne Perry, Nicole Wallace, and Ian Wilhelm

Americans have given at least $404-million to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The pace of giving is unprecedented in recent American history. In the 10 days after September 11, Americans donated $239-million to charitable causes, and in the 9 days after the tsunamis hit, major American relief groups raised $163-million.

However, some relief organizations worry that concerns about the disaster's impact on the national economy and on fuel prices could hurt attempts to raise funds for the long-term recovery work that will be needed in response to one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.

As of Saturday, the American Red Cross, in Washington, had raised $302-million, a jump of more than $106-million over Friday's total. By comparison, a week after the South Asian tsunamis, the American Red Cross had raised $79.2-million.

"It's overwhelming," says Sarah Marchetti, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross. "People are just pouring their hearts out, and making a donation is an expression of that."

The Lilly Endowment, in Indianapolis, has been one of the biggest foundation donors to the relief effort. It has given $10-million to the Salvation Army and $10-million to the American Red Cross.

For its hurricane relief, the charity has received several large corporate contributions, including $3-million from the Chevron Corporation, in San Ramon, Calif., $2-million from Exxon Mobil, in Irving, Tex., and $2-million from Bayer, in Leverkusen, Germany.

In addition to pledging $15-million in cash to help federal relief efforts, Wal-Mart, in Bentonville, Ark., also has donated $1-million to the American Red Cross and $1-million to the Salvation Army, in Alexandria, Va.

So far, the Salvation Army has garnered $24.5-million total in donations for hurricane relief. By Friday morning the organization had received $1.7-million through its toll-free telephone line. The average size of those gifts was $205.

The Salvation Army previously estimated it would require $50-million for its response to Katrina, but it now says the need will exceed that amount. "We can't even put a number on it," says Major George Hood, the charity's spokesman. "The devastation will exceed September 11." After the 2001 terrorist attacks charities raised more than $2.2-billion.

Catholic Charities USA, in Alexandria, Va., has raised more than $2-million for relief efforts. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has asked local parishes to take up a special collection that the charity will use to support its response to the hurricane, says Shelley Borysiewicz, a spokeswoman for Catholic Charities.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the Internet has also proved to be an important source of gifts.

By Saturday, $168.4-million had been donated through the Red Cross's Web site, out of the $302-million the group had raised overall. On Tuesday the charity sent an e-mail appeal to 700,000 supporters, which raised $4.5-million. On Thursday, the organization sent a follow-up solicitation to those supporters who had not opened the first appeal.

The search engine Yahoo and online retailer Amazon.com are also collecting donations to the Red Cross through their Web sites, as they did after the earthquake and tsunamis that struck South Asia last December. By late Saturday afternoon, Yahoo had collected more than $47.7-million, and Amazon had collected more than $6-million.

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation, which has raised more than $3-million, had to move its Web site to more powerful servers to accommodate the volume of donations coming into the group's two hurricane-relief funds.

"We had to change the provider to manage the volume," says John G. Davies, president of the foundation. "It's been coming in fast and furious."

For a number of groups struggling to keep up with the pace of donations, the amount raised online is the only total they know for sure.

Operation Blessing, a Christian relief organization in Virginia Beach, Va., has received Internet gifts totaling more than $500,000, but beyond that, the charity isn't sure how much it has raised overall.

"We're still trying to get to that," says Kristin Vischer, a spokeswoman for Operation Blessing. "Our phones are ringing off the hook."

Other nonprofit groups are unable to provide any estimates.

Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief, in Alpharetta, Ga., does not yet have a tally of the amount it has raised for relief efforts. Jonathon Wilson, a spokesman for the charity, expects that when a tabulation is done, it will be the most the group has ever raised after a disaster.

Mr. Wilson notes that on Sunday, most of the 42,000 Southern Baptist churches in the nation will be taking up a special collection to benefit the charity's work with hurricane victims. "I'm sure early next week we're going to see some staggering numbers come in," says Mr. Wilson.

Despite the outpouring of donations, some nonprofit executives worry how the economic repercussions of Hurricane Katrina will affect giving.

Ron Patterson, executive director of Christian Disaster Response, in Lake Alfred, Fla., says he expects Americans to give generously for hurricane relief, but worries that the disaster's effect on gas prices will hinder fund-raising efforts.

"How many donations can you make when you're paying $3 a gallon?" he asks.

Among the results from other organizations responding to the disaster:

The United Methodist Committee on Relief, in New York, has raised $570,000 from donors giving through its Web site.
America's Second Harvest, in Chicago, has raised more than $1.5-million. The organization has 37 tractor trailers of food and supplies on their way to the affected region, with 25 more scheduled to leave this weekend.

United Jewish Communities, in New York, has raised more than $1.5-million.

Network for Good, a San Francisco charity whose online giving site allows donors to contribute to any charity, has processed $6.2-million in online donations for hurricane-relief efforts since Monday. On Thursday the site processed just over $3-million in relief gifts, the biggest one-day total in the organization's history.

The Humane Society of the United States, in Washington, has raised more than $500,000 for relief efforts to rescue and care for animals left behind in the disaster.

M.J. Prest contributed to this article.

http://www.philanthropy.com/free/update/2005/09/2005090201.htm
 
The extent to which people are rallying to give aid is amazing. In my travels over the last couple of days, I've seen collection efforts from corporate matching to church tithing to local store donation boxes to three separate lemonade stands.

Thanks, Irvine, for the positive news.
 
say what you want about Americans but I still believe most of us really come through at a time like this and are good decent people

a couple of firefighters in my town volunteered to go down there and do whatever they need them to do, they were chosen from many who volunteered all over the state

they are taking some evacuees to my state and people are volunteering and donating like crazy

and there's nothing wrong w/ people being concerned about the animals too, in many cases that's all people have left other than their family. People have special emotional bonds w/ pets, and especially for children how can they take that heartbreak when they've already suffered so much
 
Just about every business in the metro Birmingham area is collectiing donations for the hurricane victims. Last Saturday volunteers collected relief supplies from every merchant in one mall and loaded them onto a truck bound for New Orleans. The radio stations have links to the Red Cross on their web sites. The generosity has really been inspiring to see.
 
Wonderful, a thread about Katrina without an objective to stir racial and political tension. Positivity much appreciated. A round of applause to those who went out of their way to ease the burden on those who needed it the most. :applaud:
 
I was at my vet's office today and they have donation jars set up for both people and the animals. They also are collecting donations of supplies (looked like they were mostly vet/kennel supplies).
 
The day after the hurricane I passed this little homemade farmstand that was selling tomatoes and donating the money, it was run by kids

Sometimes it takes kids to provide the example for adults
 
I don't want to go into all the details, but I am so very, very proud of my company. They've gone leaps and bounds over and above what anyone could expect a company to do to take care of its employees hit by the hurricane.

It's what's getting me through all of this, and what I keep falling back on when all this work we're now doing becomes overwhelming.

I heart my company and its employees, and am so proud to work here.
 
I am personally very proud of Texas. They are housing 250K of survivors and evacuees. Entire cities are mobilzing to provide education, jobs, housing, medical, communication, and every other short to longterm need.

Out of the ashes of every tragedy can come a rebirth. Many people are telling reporters how much of an edifying event this was on both the personal and group levels. We can truly come together in peace and help each other as brothers, sisters, as neighbors. Katrina, for all of her destruction and death, has proven that about us.
 
reply

From sea to shining sea
the hands of America reach out
to one another
to help
in time of need.

:heart: to :heart:
 
MrsSpringsteen said:
say what you want about Americans but I still believe most of us really come through at a time like this and are good decent people

Agree wholeheartedly with this. I have faith in the majority of Americans, they're a good lot :). And it's stories like these that, as I've said before, really make me proud to live here. This is the America I know and love.

Originally posted by MrsSpringsteen
and there's nothing wrong w/ people being concerned about the animals too, in many cases that's all people have left other than their family. People have special emotional bonds w/ pets, and especially for children how can they take that heartbreak when they've already suffered so much

Completely agree with this as well.

Thanks to all in this thread who've shared positive stories, it's a nice change of pace after all the chaos of the past week. And I raise a glass to all those who've been helping out so far-thanks, guys, way to go :applaud: :up: :).

Angela
 
last I heard it was almost 600 million

The Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang Tour announced that they have made a $1 million donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for Hurricane Katrina. The tour will also offer fans a way to get directly involved by making their own contributions to the American Red Cross at the local concert venues throughout the tour. This effort began in Milwaukee and will continue throughout the tour.

The Boston Red Sox and their fans have also raised a ton of money, I don't have a number but it is substantial and growing every day
 
I said it after September 11 and I will say it again now. I might dislike what my goverment does but I am absolutely and madly in love with the people of this country.
 
Magic Johnson has promised jobs for some of the Katrina victims staying in a Los Angeles shelter. The former NBA star runs his own corporation, which includes fitness centers and chain restaurants.
 
LoveTown said:
I said it after September 11 and I will say it again now. I might dislike what my goverment does but I am absolutely and madly in love with the people of this country.

I agree. I think Americans are generous, good people with alot of heart. The local fundraisers are raisiing tons of money.
 
LoveTown said:
I said it after September 11 and I will say it again now. I might dislike what my goverment does but I am absolutely and madly in love with the people of this country.

I agree. There may be a few bad eggs in this world, but even a cynical, snarky bitch like myself thinks many people truly want to help others.

I'm between jobs right now and money is tight, but I did donate my check from a marketing job I did for a friend of mine. Half went to the Red Cross and the other half went to the Humane Society of the US.
 
Just wanted to mention a couple things...

1) If any of you are willing to host evacuees in your home but assumed you live too far from NO to help out in that way...please, still consider posting your offer on hurricanehousing.org or KatrinaHousing.org, and check with your local Red Cross, newspaper or NPR station to see if anyone is helping place evacuees in your area. I'm involved in coordinating a local effort here in Southern Indiana, and it's really surprising how many evacuees there are even this far north.

2) I finally heard today from an old friend I grew up with in Mississippi, who I'd been very worried about...she's worked at the NO Public Library for several years now, and even though she's lost pretty much everything, she was ELATED when we spoke because they'd just found out that the library's main building--which houses centuries' worth of precious, irreplaceable history in the form of the NO City Archives--survived Katrina almost entirely unscathed. This can't compare to the joy I felt knowing my friend was alive and well, but nonetheless... :up:.
 
I'm glad your friend is OK, and I'm glad the New Orleans Public Library preserved its archives. I was wondering about the libraries in New Orleans.
 
VertigoGal said:
concerning point 1, we're stuck with an extra apartment (long story :wink: ) and can't get out of the contract til January, and are trying to give it to some refugees (or at least sublease it for cheap).

Wow! That's a really wonderful thing to do. It makes your hardship (of having and extra apartment to pay for) a great benefit for someone else. I hope it works out!
 
VertigoGal said:
concerning point 1, we're stuck with an extra apartment (long story :wink: ) and can't get out of the contract til January, and are trying to give it to some refugees (or at least sublease it for cheap).

Good idea :) :up:. Hopefully those people will be able to get a chance to stay there.

We have a housing shortage here in our town, so I don't know how many refugees we'd be able to house here, but if any are going to be coming up through the northeastern part of Wyoming, hopefully, our town can hear about it and find some way to give them a place to stay. Even if it's just a motel for now, at least it's something, you know?

yolland, that's awesome news on both accounts-glad your friend's all right, and that's neat that that library managed to come through the hurricane all right.

I've been hearing some stories of acts of kindness by people throughout these little telethons/concerts that we've been seeing lately...man, some people are really going out of their way to help these people. Like that one lady on last night's telethon, who'd go around delivering necessities to people and stuff. That's freakin' amazing. But very, very cool :up:.

My dad's station's been doing a lot of donation drive type things to help out with relief efforts, too. And I think my mom's store's doing the same, or thinking of ways to do something. Same goes for my sister's school, they're doing donation things, too.

I should see if my school's doing anything...:hmm:...

Angela
 
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