Author |
Message |
Redstar
Member
07-08-2005
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 11:33 am
Some TVCH folks have posted in the general Hurricane thread about how they personally or the company they work for are helping, and I thought it would be nice to have a separate thread for us to share our helping stories. Some examples: Ddr works at a (Texas?) Welcome Center and thanks to local donations they've been able to give out free water, food and other supplies to refugees. Texannie's church is doing the same. Spygirl works for Mary Kay, who will be donating $1 million to Hurricane Katrina relief, and Kaili works for UPS, who has earmarked $1.25 million in cash and services to assist. The university I work for (Western Illinois University) is waiving regular admission requirements, allowing late registration, and offering in-state tuition rates to students displaced by the hurricane. “Following the aftermath of this destructive storm, it is essential that colleges and universities open their doors to help in any way possible,” President Al Goldfarb said. “Students from areas affected by the hurricane may enroll in classes at Western and we will assist these students in any way possible so they can continue their studies in a safe and affordable environment.” I am located at our second campus, and I am personally running a donation fund that will be sent to the American Red Cross. I am far away from the Gulf coast and have no useful skills for the situation anyway, but I felt compelled to help in the best possible way I can.
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Twiggyish
Member
08-14-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 11:51 am
Our class is going to adopt a similar class in either Miss. or NO. Last year after Charley many schools sent our area needed books and supplies. The supplies helped our school system reopen. My program would not have existed last year without the donations.
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Tashakinz
Member
11-13-2002
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 11:57 am
We've already instituted a company-wide donation drive.
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Fruitbat
Member
08-07-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:00 pm
Well, right now I am yelling at Bush. I will think of something more productive later. I will give, in some way, to the communities outside of New Orleans that have been destroyed. I am digusted with the jerks in NO and there is no way to seperate them from the pack. NO is also going to be the focus for the help. It already is.
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Riviere
Member
09-09-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:01 pm
We're employees of the Homeland Security sector which says whatever.
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:02 pm
I found this in an article I just read... Katrina Donations Rise as Bush Taps Father and Clinton for Effort Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Contributions for victims of Hurricane Katrina climbed to at least $82 million as President George W. Bush asked his father and former President Bill Clinton to lead a fund-raising effort. Corporate giving made up a significant amount of the total, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, as companies from Abbott Laboratories to Johnson Controls Inc. pledge money and supplies. Jerry Lewis's annual Labor Day telethon will include celebrity appeals for Katrina victims and the Muscular Dystrophy Association plans to give $1 million to help. (snip) Abbott Laboratories pledged $2 million in cash donations and at least another $2 million in nutritional and medical products to help victims of the storm. Abbott said it is shipping cases of pediatric and adult nutritional products such as Similac infant formula, PediaSure and Pedialyte to the disaster area. Anheuser-Busch said it has shipped more than 825,000 cans of drinking water to Katrina victims, and the Anhesuer-Busch Foundation is donating $250,000 to relief. United Airlines carried 25,000 pounds of food and water and 50 emergency-medical technicians into New Orleans this morning on a relief flight, said spokeswoman Jean Medina. The flight is returning to Chicago this afternoon, she said. Johnson Controls Inc. said it will donate $1 million to the Red Cross, as has Capital One Financial Corp. Rutgers, the state University of New Jersey, is offering enrollment to New Jersey students attending colleges in areas devastated by Katrina. Displaced students can take classes on Rutgers's campuses until their schools are opened. Students must contact Rutgers by Sept. 15 to enroll for the fall semester. The visiting students will have to pay in-state tuition and fees, though Rutgers will consider delaying payment in individual cases. (snip) Major League Baseball teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, have started drives to collect money and goods, according to the league's Web site. The New York Yankees are donating $1 million for relief, the site said. (snip)
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Ginger1218
Member
08-31-2001
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:02 pm
I work for a large law firm, we are having a firm wide donation drive and the partners are matching funds. Last year we donated for the Tsunami victims over $150,000. We do it through the Red Cross.
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:04 pm
Also... U.S. companies step up to plate with donations This article mentions-- • Chevron, the BP Foundation, Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson and many others are contributing $1 million or more to disaster agencies. • Wal-Mart is collecting donations at 3,800 Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores, plus giving $2 million to the American Red Cross and Salvation Army. • UnitedHealth Group is giving $10 million in cash to relief groups, spokesman Mark Lindsay says, and offering a free, 24-hour telephone hotline (866-615-8700) for people traumatized by the hurricane.
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Max
Moderator
08-12-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:05 pm
I'm donating some stock I own to the Red Cross. I will probably also donate some of my accumulated United Airlines miles to the Red Cross to help them defer costs of bringing in volunteers from out of the area. I work for myself, so there's no company to match any donation I make, unfortunately. I've also pledged to donate $2 for every $5 "United We Cruise" wrist band I sell on my website from now until the end of the year. I'm on the board for our local PT Cruiser club and we are meeting on Sunday. One of the topics for discussion is how we can organize some kind of fundraiser with the club members (we have over 200 members locally). If I was in the South instead of the Northwest, I'd be volunteering somewhere.
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Cathie
Member
08-16-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:06 pm
The pediactric hospital where I work in Fort Worth has received transfer of many patients from NO. We are providing housing, food and clothing for the families of these patients, along with charity medical care for those who are uninsured. We also have a staff collection effort for $$ to the Red Cross.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:39 pm
I work for a large law firm that has donated $250,000 and has also set up an employee assistance board for family members and friends who have been affected. We are also offering office space and support help to attorneys from the affected areas. The Cowboy Church of Ellis County, which I attend, has bought groceries and clothing for evacuees who are staying in hotels in our area and will also be taking donations to Reunion Arena in Dallas for evacuees staying there.
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:41 pm
Our staff is setting up a clothing drive as well as requesting cash donations.
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:50 pm
My little Starbucks has donated coffee, food and pastries to my church each day. I have been told that the Houston district Starbucks are going to organize a canned food drive.
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Bearware
Member
07-12-2002
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:51 pm
My school is having a donation/hat day. For a dollar, students are allowed to wear a hat for the day. All proceeds will go to the Red Cross. We're also collecting additional donations as we can.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:57 pm
Bear, that's a great idea and I called my son's school to make that suggestion if they had not already planned something. I was told the students are being asked to bring $.50 or $1.
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 1:13 pm
Last year for the tsumani the middle school did penny wars among the classes. You brought in pennies for your own class (homeroom) jar, then you dropped silver change into the other classes jars. At the end of the week, the jars were counted. Pennies counted positive, silver was subtracted. (So if your room had 500 pennies, but other kids from other classes dropped $2.25 in dimes, nickles, and quarters into your jar- your class total would be $2.75, but your donation would be $7.25). Anyway, it was a class by class competition and went on for a month- sixth graders get really competitve and would bring in $5 and $10 bills to the other class jars to make sure they had a lot subtracted. Does that make sense the way I described it? I don't even remember what the 'prize" was for the winning classroom.
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Not1worry
Member
07-30-2002
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 2:41 pm
I have a large box of home school school curriculum that I was planning to sell on eBay. I'm going to donate that to an organization called booksamaritan.org. They will distribute the curriculum to families that had to evacuate and have no curriculum now. Since our family home schools and that is where my heart is, I really want to help those families that home schools to be able to continue to do so. Also, my local Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC), which is a bible study/fellowship group for military women, is working on getting permission to donate our offering to the Red Cross local chapter.
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 4:08 pm
WOW!!! Just got an email from my church, Carrabas restaurant (now a chain but the family started it here) is bringing over meals for all the evacuees on Sunday!! btw..I am so grateful for this thread. I needed to hear that there is some good going on too!
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Redstar
Member
07-08-2005
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 4:15 pm
Only hours after our announcement, my university received its first call from the local mother of a child who had been attending LSU. It feels so good to be able to help even one person continue on with her life!
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Max
Moderator
08-12-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 4:58 pm
I contacted a friend who still works at my former company, Symantec. Although they are not publicly crowing about what they are doing, I knew they'd be doing something. She said they have donated money directly to the Red Cross and have opened up the employee charitable matching program so that the usual $1,000 annual limit per employee for matching funds is completely waived. They will match, dollar-for-dollar, every cent that employees donate to the relief efforts. That, to me, is amazing because I know how much money those employees came up with after 9/11 and the company has grown a LOT since then. At the Oregon State Fair, all proceeds from the sale of plants that decorate the fairgrounds will go to the Red Cross. Usually, 50% of the proceeds go to a fund that helps maintain the grounds, but the gentleman whose company supplies all the plants decided to donate 100% of the proceeds to the Red Cross instead. He challenged other fair vendors and many have pledged funds to go along with what is raised. Everywhere you look, there are people donating in whatever way they can. I think we all feel as helpless as we did after 9/11. I know I do.
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Coco
Member
07-13-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 6:01 pm
Hi, my company sent out a housewide email early today saying that we would be making a significant donation to the American Red Cross to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. If we wanted to add to the significant donation, we must submit our personal check made payable to the American Red Cross, Hurricane Katrina Relief and our Administration will mail our checks with their check.
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Bearware
Member
07-12-2002
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 6:53 pm
Kaili! I just LOVE that idea! Do you mind if I steal it? Our school did a fund-raiser for the Salvation Army at Thanksgiving one year that involved taking pictures of the men faculty's legs (thighs down) without identifying them and having the students vote on which teacher had the best "Turkey Legs". Votes cost a penny a piece, and all the money was donated to help feed people at Thanksgiving. The leg owners were revealed in a 'fashion show' at lunch after the votes were tallied. Everyone had a great time!
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Cdbga
Member
10-04-2004
| Friday, September 02, 2005 - 6:16 am
The company I work for (Time Warner) has made an donation and is also offering a dollar-for-dollar match for employee donations.
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Mags
Member
06-26-2001
| Friday, September 02, 2005 - 7:02 am
The company I work for normally matches charitable donations made by its employees. For the Hurricane relief effort, they are "double matching"...meaning if I donate $25, they will add $50 to it.
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Terolyn
Member
05-06-2004
| Friday, September 02, 2005 - 8:21 am
My Girl Scout troop is making "health kits" and "flood kits" to send to the Gulf Coast. We donated $150 to the Red Cross Our name is on the list to house a family
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