Friday, November 18, 2005

Picayune Item: Volunteer organization given notice to get in paperwork

Picayune Item: Mississippi News Near the Gulf: News: "Volunteer organization given notice to get in paperwork

By Sarah Scheuermann/Item Correspondent
Friday, November 18, 2005 1:37 PM CST

Convoy of Hope responded quickly to Picayune's needs following Hurricane Katrina, but weren't quick enough to respond to a request from Secretary of State Eric Clark to register as a charitable organization.

Convoy of Hope, based in Springfield, Mo., set up and distributed survival supplies such as ice, water, food, diapers and infant formula the afternoon after Hurricane Katrina's landfall. The next morning, they busily distributed these items to area residents. Yet, there was a gap in communication between this 501- C (3) nonprofit organization with Clark's office."

End of Ramadan Celebrated with Fundraiser - News - Mount Vernon Gazette - Connection Newspapers

End of Ramadan Celebrated with Fundraiser - News - Mount Vernon Gazette - Connection Newspapers: "End of Ramadan Celebrated with Fundraiser
Mahmoods open their home to celebrate and help earthquake victims.
Gale Curcio
November 18, 2005
snip snip>>>


Concurrent with these festivities is a sense of generosity and gratitude. Although charity and good deeds are always important in Islam, they have special significance at the end of Ramadan. As the month draws to a close, Muslims are obligated to share their blessings by feeding the poor and making contributions to mosques.
What better way than to make this year’s celebration a fundraising dinner for earthquake victims in Northern Pakistan? Long known for their generosity, the Mahmoods once again teamed up with friend and neighbor, Susan Allen, wife of U.S. Senator George Allen (R-VA). The honorary committee also included Ambassador and Mrs. Jehangir Karamat of Pakistan. Serving as honorary co-chairs were: Ashraf and Ambreen Hayat; Dr. Hamid and Shahnaz Quraishi; and Ester Coopersmith. Also in attendance was Mahmoudmian Sumrou, Pakistan Senate Chairman, and Barbara Johnson, wife of U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD).
Their goal was to have a festive evening, while at the same time doing good for an area of the world that desperately needs help. Shaista Mahmood said approximately 200 people came to the event and they raised $100,000. "

FEMA Says It Will Work Out Refugee Housing - Yahoo! News

FEMA Says It Will Work Out Refugee Housing - Yahoo! News: "FEMA Says It Will Work Out Refugee Housing

By MICHAEL GRACZYK, Associated Press Writer Thu Nov 17, 6:31 PM ET

HOUSTON - Federal and state officials tried to ease fears Thursday that thousands of Louisiana hurricane refugees in Texas would be left homeless again after Dec. 1 when FEMA has said it will stop paying their hotel and motel bills.
ADVERTISEMENT

'We are finding longer-term housing for all evacuees,' said Russ Knocke, spokesman for the Department of
Homeland Security. 'That's really a top priority, working with families to help them find some long-term housing options."

Christianpost.com - Christian Breaking News, U.S., World, Christian Music, Christian Entertainment, Education, Health, Christian Book & Christian Busi

Christianpost.com - Christian Breaking News, U.S., World, Christian Music, Christian Entertainment, Education, Health, Christian Book & Christian Business News: "Over 3,000 CCC Students Mobilized for Gulf Coast Recovery Efforts
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2005 Posted: 8:08:32PM EST

Over the weekend, more than 600 college students descended on the hurricane-battered town of Pass Christian, Miss., to help the ongoing relief and recovery efforts of the town.

Over 3,000 CCC Students Mobilized for Gulf Coast Recovery Efforts
Three students gut houses in Pass Christian, Miss. They are among more than 2,300 students sent by Campus Crusade for Christ to help clean areas devastated by the hurricanes. Students travel from around the entire country to the Gulf states when they are off from school. (Photo: Campus Crusade for Christ)

After a massive storm surge destroyed more than 70 percent of the homes in the town, the U.S. Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI) called on college students from all its 1,298 college campuses to join the Katrina relief effort in the Gulf Coast. Thus far, the students have gutted 375 of the 500 flooded homes left still standing after Katrina.
"

Thursday, November 17, 2005

NHL.com - News-NHLPA, NHL become teammates with Garth Brooks to help children in need

NHL.com - News: "NHLPA, NHL become teammates with Garth Brooks to help children in need

Brooks will match dollars raised from NHL / NHLPA Katrina Relief Game-Worn Jersey Auction

NEW YORK (November 16, 2005) - The National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players' Association have jointly selected Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation as the official children's charity of the NHL and NHLPA. The league-wide alliance will include players from all 30 NHL Member Clubs and utilize the League and Players' Association's full platform of marketing resources."

AP Wire | 11/16/2005 | Forty new charities register since Katrina, four raise questions

AP Wire | 11/16/2005 | Forty new charities register since Katrina, four raise questions: "Forty new charities register since Katrina, four raise questions

HOLBROOK MOHR

Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. - Forty new charities have registered to solicit funds since Hurricane Katrina struck on Aug. 29, and more than a dozen have expanded their missions, Secretary of State Eric Clark says.

On the negative side, Clark said four charities have not responded to official inquiries and could be shut down.

'In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we probably have seen more focus on charitable giving than ever before,' Clark said Wednesday as he released his annual report on charitable organizations."

Pittsburgh Catholic Newspaper - News and Features

Pittsburgh Catholic Newspaper - News and Features: "aithful respond in spirit of giving
current article
by: John Franko

The generous spirit of the diocesan faithful continues to manifest itself in many ways, locally, nationally and internationally.

In addition to the regular weekly offerings that support the parishes of the diocese, contributions on the part of local Catholics toward those in need often top those of much larger archdioceses and dioceses.

The diocese contributed more than $1.8 million for relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina in August. The figure included more than $43,000 collected by diocesan schools."

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

The Chronicle, 11/16/2005: Donations to U.S. Relief Groups Top $30-Million for Pakistan Earthquake

The Chronicle, 11/16/2005: Donations to U.S. Relief Groups Top $30-Million for Pakistan Earthquake: "Donations to U.S. Relief Groups Top $30-Million for Pakistan Earthquake

By Cassie Moore

Donations to major American relief organizations to help victims of the South Asia earthquake now stand at just over $30-million, a figure that fund raisers say falls short of the need but is an encouraging response when put into the context of many other international disasters.

The earthquakes that demolished parts of Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan last month killed more than 74,000 people and left thousands more injured and homeless."

In a season of giving, charity fatigue may hit close to home this year

In a season of giving, charity fatigue may hit close to home this year: "n a season of giving, charity fatigue may hit close to home this year
By Jennifer Pearson Bonnett
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Last updated: Wednesday, Nov 16, 2005 - 06:43:38 am PST

Dennis Lewis will soon begin his annual labor of love by preparing angel tags. The gift request forms are from underprivileged children in Lodi, and Lewis' Lodi Adopt-A-Child organization will answer more than 1,500 of those requests with the help of citizen donations.

At least that's his hope."

NP Times / Leaving Everything Behind

NP Times / Leaving Everything Behind: "November 1, 2005
Leaving Everything Behind
VOA chapter learns to operate across state lines

By Alan Naditz

When Jim LeBlanc, president of the Volunteers of America’s Greater New Orleans affiliate, first heard about Hurricane Katrina heading toward the city, he thought he had things covered. This was, after all, another exercise in what’s become an annual ritual: break out the disaster response plan and get to work preparing residents for evacuation.

“For the past three or four years during hurricane season we’ve had to evacuate people from our communities once or twice a year,” LeBlanc said. “We know the drill: We hire several Greyhound buses, pack several days of clothing for each person and make hotel reservations. We know we’ll be back in a few days after the storm’s over.”"

FEMA Tells 150,000 in Hotels to Exit In 15 Days

FEMA Tells 150,000 in Hotels to Exit In 15 Days: "FEMA Tells 150,000 in Hotels to Exit In 15 Days
No More Free Rooms For Katrina Evacuees

By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 16, 2005; Page A01

The Federal Emergency Management Agency yesterday warned an estimated 150,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees living in government-subsidized hotels that they have until Dec. 1 to find other housing before it stops paying for their rooms.

The announcement effectively starts the clock ticking toward a new exodus of Gulf Coast storm victims who have been living rent-free in 5,700 hotels in 51 states and U.S. territories under the $273 million program."

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Arizona Capitol Times-tate tallies Katrina relief costs; DPS has biggest share

Arizona Capitol Times: "State tallies Katrina relief costs; DPS has biggest share

By Paul Davenport
The Associated Press


The state has spent more than $1.2 million on Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, with half of the initial tally being reported by the law-enforcement agency that provided security at a state-owned arena used as a shelter for evacuees.

According to preliminary figures provided by state officials for costs reported by Oct. 21, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) reported expenses totaling $622,343. Other state agencies reporting large expenditures included the Department of Economic Security (DES) with $358,000 and the Department of Housing at $232,613. "

Association of Fundraising Professionals | About AFP | AFP news & press releases

AFP PRESS RELEASE

Association of Fundraising Professionals | About AFP | AFP news & press releases: "FUNDRAISING DOWN SLIGHTLY BECAUSE OF HURRICANES: OPTIMISM STILL STRONG THAT GIVING WILL RECOVER BY YEAR’S END


DATE: Nov. 15, 2005

FOR RELEASE: Immediate

CONTACT: Joyce O’Brien, V.P., Marketing & Communications, (703) 519-8457

(Alexandria, VA) Nearly half of U.S. charities have seen their fundraising decline because of the Gulf Coast Hurricanes and the associated relief efforts, according to a survey by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) released on National Philanthropy Day�.

The Hurricane Impact Study, which surveyed fundraisers in California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas, found that 46 percent of respondents saw their fundraising decline because of the hurricanes and the relief efforts."

The Enterprise at SouthofBoston.com

The Enterprise at SouthofBoston.com: "Charity begins close to home
By Elaine Allegrini, Enterprise staff writer

Janet Victoria walked out of Westgate Mall in Brockton on Monday and went straight to the Salvation Army red kettle to deposit the cash in her hand.

'God bless,' bell-ringer Barbara Roy of Brockton said.

Her smile beamed each time someone dropped cash in the kettle during the first day of the Salvation Army's annual holiday drive.

Time's Person of the Year Could Be Katrina - Yahoo! News

Time's Person of the Year Could Be Katrina - Yahoo! News: "Time's Person of the Year Could Be Katrina

By DEEPTI HAJELA, Associated Press Writer Tue Nov 15, 6:53 AM ET

NEW YORK - Time magazine's 2005 Person of the Year may not be a person after all. A panel of notables has made a strong case for awarding the distinction this year to Hurricane Katrina.

NBC anchor Brian Williams included Katrina in his larger nomination of Mother Nature, which he picked because of a host of environmental stories this year, from the tsunami to earthquakes in Pakistan. He said the hurricane and its aftermath led to other issues."

Napa Valley Register Online | CommentaryOpinion

Napa Valley Register Online | CommentaryOpinion: "A good cause and a strike at terrorism
By MORTON KONDRACKE
Monday, November 14, 2005 11:46 AM PST


The United States reaped huge political benefits from its generous response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. But it's in danger of falling short now in strategically vital Pakistan.

Five weeks after an earthquake killed an estimated 87,000 people and left 2 million homeless with savage weather descending, the U.S. government has committed $156 million to relief in Pakistan, compared to $1 billion after the tsunami.

Private U.S. donations for Pakistan so far total $47.7 million. That compares to $600 million a month after the tsunami and $1.6 billion total. A week after the tsunami, President Bush enlisted his father and former President Bill Clinton to lead private relief fundraising. It took 20 days for him to appoint five corporate CEOs to lead a similar effort after the earthquake, along with Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes.
"

Capital News 9 | 24 Hour Local News | HEADLINES | Hurricane donations about to eclipse 9/11 giving

Capital News 9 | 24 Hour Local News | HEADLINES | Hurricane donations about to eclipse 9/11 giving: "Hurricane donations about to eclipse 9/11 giving
11/14/2005 2:01 PM
By: The Associated Press

Americans have given nearly as much to charities in the 11 weeks since Hurricane Katrina as they did in the entire two years after 9/11.

The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University said the hurricane total already has reached $2.65 billion. The group said within the next couple of weeks the total should surpass the $2.8 billion contributed after the attacks."

Monday, November 14, 2005

United Press International - NewsTrack - Hurricane Katrina draws record donations

United Press International - NewsTrack - Hurricane Katrina draws record donations: "urricane Katrina draws record donations

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- American giving is about to set another milestone as donations for victims of Hurricane Katrina are expected to go over the record set after the 9/11 tragedy.

Private donations totaled nearly $2.7 billion just 11 weeks after Katrina struck, say the Red Cross and Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy, which tracks charitable giving, reports USA Today.

The total given to the Sept. 11, 2001, charities was $2.8 billion."

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Compassion fatigue leaves quake victims out in the cold

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Compassion fatigue leaves quake victims out in the cold: "Compassion fatigue leaves quake victims out in the cold

� UN to ask for billions of dollars at donors' meeting
� Cash needed immediately to stave off crisis

Randeep Ramesh, south Asia correspondent
Monday November 14, 2005
The Guardian

The international community needs to spend 'several billions of dollars in immediate cash' to stave off a humanitarian crisis in Pakistan-ruled Kashmir, according to the chairman of an international donor conference to be held this week.

Kemal Dervis, the head of the UN Development Programme, acknowledged that the relief effort had struggled to raise the required $550m (�314m) from its instant appeal and that the $130m pledged so far was 'clearly insufficient'."

Financial squeeze play - Buffalo - MSNBC.com

Financial squeeze play - Buffalo - MSNBC.com: "Financial squeeze play
Nonprofits struggle to meet growing demand
Related Stories
By Tracey Drury
Business First of Buffalo
Updated: 7:00 p.m. ET Nov. 13, 2005

In a year when Americans have poured billions of dollars into disaster relief around the world, nonprofit agencies in Western New York are weathering a storm of their own.

It's true that many organizations have seen significant revenue growth in recent years, in line with a national trend of increased giving from individual donors. However, if you ask just about any nonprofit executive how things are going, you'll hear a lot of complaints about how tight the economy is, about the declining availability of funding from government and foundations and how much they've had to adjust their staffing to balance the budget."

USATODAY.com - Suspected scams tucked into near-record Katrina giving

USATODAY.com - Suspected scams tucked into near-record Katrina giving: "
Posted 11/13/2005 9:58 PM


Suspected scams tucked into near-record Katrina giving
By Thomas Frank, USA TODAY
In the days after Hurricane Katrina hit, visitors to AirKatrina.com read wrenching accounts of rescue missions flown into the Gulf Coast by Florida pilot Gary Kraser.

'If we didn't have the plane, I don't think the little baby would have survived,' Kraser wrote. 'She is undergoing transplant surgery at this moment.'

But the stories that helped inspire 48 people to donate nearly $40,000 were a lie, prosecutors say. There were no sick babies, they allege, no rescues, not even any flights by Kraser, who now stands charged with fraud.

As Hurricanes Katrina and Rita generate near-record-breaking charitable giving, they also are spawning a cottage industry of fraud."

After the Storm, One Town Finds 1,000 Ways to Give - New York Times

After the Storm, One Town Finds 1,000 Ways to Give - New York Times: "After the Storm, One Town Finds 1,000 Ways to Give
Jim Wilson/The New York Times



By PETER T. KILBORN
Published: November 14, 2005

ST. FRANCISVILLE, La.

THAT Saturday, Aug. 27, Rose Parsee, or Mother Rose to her church and her three younger generations, got a call from a daughter, Kathlyn Locke. Ms. Locke, Ms. Parsee and most of the clan lived in two houses and an apartment in Harvey, just south of New Orleans on the city's west bank. A hardy brick of a woman, intense and passionate, Ms. Parsee had never been out of the area in her 65 years."