Make A Difference Day

Hey Everyone.
I want everyone to take note - you need to sign up for this! First, it allows you to hopefully get some funding to continue your work, but at least as importantly is that it makes people more aware that the situation along the Gulf Coast is NOT back to normal and that help is still needed so badly.
Make A Difference Day Home Page
a PDF file to print out your registration form - you don't send it in until AFTER the day.
a Database of organizations who are doing something on that day
This is where you need to put your information NOW. Even if you don't enter for the funding, this is another place to make your presence known and hopefully get some volunteers/funding/materials

12/1 - Well! I am tickled PINK. one of the groups here - The Giving Circle - got highlighted in tomorrows USA Weekend for what they did on 10/28! Woohoo!

Check out this link to a web-site of USA Weekend.....
http://www.usaweekend.com/06_issues/061203/061203diffday.html
and sneak a preview of today's (Sunday, December 3, 2006) USA Weekend. Scroll down in the discussion of Make a Difference Day and read, in particular, the paragraph about Mark Bertrand.
Out of the "thousands of efforts supported by 3 million Americans (that) changed lives Oct. 28", it is good to see The Giving Circle and Mark's efforts chosen to be among those few that are highlighted.

10/24 I have searched 27 states and have found only 5 registries for the Gulf Region - 4 of which are HERE. That isn't nearly enough. You aren't blowing your own horn here - you are Advocating for the people you are helping. The nation and world need to know the Gulf is still in serious need. REGISTER!

Organizations Who Have Signed Up:

Giving Circle
http://www.thegivingcircle.org/
Radio Station WQRZ in Hancock County, Miss., served as the emergency broadcast center for the entire county during Hurricane Katrina. It was the only radio station that stayed on the air during the storm at great risk to the owner and operator, Brice Phillips, earning him a presidential award for volunteerism. The entire station eventually succumbed to the storm, was submerged in water and destroyed. We intend to make a difference by helping to get WQRZ back into a permanent, hurricane-resistant structure. A team has salvaged electronics from the original station location in preparation for demolition. Oct. 28 will be "Demolition Day" where team members will help to demolish the structure. Ultimate goal of the project is to procure a half-round steel building and help re-establish the station's emergency services so that people can be informed in the event of another emergency.

Hancock County Food Pantry

Laurianne wrote stating they are doing a food drive for both the Food Pantry and Hope Haven Children's Shelter at the local grocery in Diamondhead.

Katrina Networking -

is going to be establishing a blog for 'real people to help real people.' I have been hearing from both volunteers and individuals alike that many case managers are being hired, but no money for the cases they are managing is being dispersed. So - I am going to be reaching out the all of the groups I know of to give me case history on one family per week that they are helping for me to post on the new blog. If all goes well, this will be up to 18 families per week.

Katrina's Angels -
Katrina's Angels is a volunteer, "virtual" nonprofit assisting disaster survivors. We will be posting an online Angels Tree with needy individuals to help over the holidays. No personal info will be given until the family is sponsored and then a follow-up to confirm sponsored families are actually getting items (so no one will be missed).
We help survivors in all 50 states and all donations go directly to the families or will be used to offset shipping charges. We welcome any groups, churches, business, school groups etc that may want to do a group effort and as a registered 501c3, we can give tax exemption receipts.

We will also welcome any volunteers that would like to help in any way, from sending emails, data entry, drives or fundraisers, collections, distributions etc.
Lynne Onufer Program Director http://www.katrinasangels.org/
KaBOOM!
From USA Weekend - 350 parents, teachers, Rotary International members and KaBOOM! volunteers will build a playground for kids whose two schools were destroyed by hurricane Katrina [in Kiln, MS - this is Charles B. Murphy and Gulfview Elementary]. The students, who now attend class in trailers, designed their new play space. This is KaBOOM!s 24th playground in the Gulf Region. At each project, volunteers are urged to "Play it Forward."