Thursday, February 23, 2006

CatholicCourier.com - Local Top Stories-"Parishes assist Louisiana Catholics

CatholicCourier.com - Local Top Stories: "Parishes assist Louisiana Catholics

(Publication Date: 02-18-2006)

By Rob Cullivan/Catholic Courier



Three Monroe County parishes have united to help a Louisiana church recover from the devastation wrought last summer by Hurricane Katrina.

The Pittsford parishes of St. Louis and Transfiguration are working with St. Catherine of Siena in Mendon to aid Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church in Chalmette, La., according to Tony Fernandez, chairman of the pastoral council at Prompt Succor."

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

White House to Issue Own Katrina Report - Yahoo! News

White House to Issue Own Katrina Report - Yahoo! News: "White House to Issue Own Katrina Report By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 2 minutes ago


WASHINGTON - The White House will make 125 recommendations for how the government could have reacted better to Hurricane Katrina in a report to be released Thursday on the catastrophe and the Bush administration's response to it.
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The findings are expected to be critical of the government's response, but not as harsh as a separate House report issued last week, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The House study faulted the White House for not getting involved earlier in the planning for and aftermath of the Aug. 29 storm"

Friday, February 17, 2006

CBC News: Hundreds missing in Philippine landslide

CBC News: Hundreds missing in Philippine landslide: "Hundreds missing in Philippine landslide
Last Updated Fri, 17 Feb 2006 08:07:46 EST
CBC News

Rescue workers and sniffer dogs are frantically searching for survivors on an eastern Philippine island on Friday after a mudslide roared down a mountainside, wiping out an entire village.

About two dozen bodies have been recovered from the farming community on Leyte island, about 670 kilometres southeast of Manila. About 30 more people are injured.
A child is carried from a landslide on Leyte island in the eastern Philippines, Friday, Feb. 17. (AP Photo/ABS CBN via APTN)

Initial estimates said 1,500 people are missing, but Global Radio News reporter Dean Bernardo told CBC Newsworld that about 3,000 people live in the Guinsaugon village area of St. Bernard town."

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

BJORK - INDONESIA CHANGED BJORKS CHARITY OUTLOOK

BJORK - INDONESIA CHANGED BJORKS CHARITY OUTLOOK: "INDONESIA CHANGED BJORK'S CHARITY OUTLOOK

Icelandic singer BJORK has changed her outlook on large-scale charity fundraising following her emotional visit to Indonesia last month (JAN06).

The ALL IS FULL OF LOVE star had always been suspicious of centralised organisations because she felt too much money was wasted before it reached the needy.

The 40-year-old says, 'I always felt a bit funny about it because I didn't know where the money was going and the people come and I don't know them.

'And (you hear) scandal stories about charities where most of the money pays for champagne to help with celebrities.'

Senators hear 'shocking examples' of FEMA waste - Yahoo! News

Senators hear 'shocking examples' of FEMA waste - Yahoo! News: "FEMA has let nearly 11,000 unused manufactured homes deteriorate on old runways and open fields in Arkansas, and the agency spent $416,000 per person to house a few hundred Hurricane Katrina evacuees for a short time in Alabama last fall, government investigators told the Senate on Monday."

CNN.com - Anderson Cooper 360° Blog

CNN.com - Anderson Cooper 360° Blog: "Monday, February 13, 2006
Katrina mobile homes immobile in Arkansas
I've lived in New Orleans 13 years now, a Yankee who got sucked in by the smell of gardenias in February and couldn't pull away.

My house is in the part of New Orleans we've started to call the 'sliver by the river,' the narrow strip along the Mississippi that didn't flood. So I'm typing this from the study of my 100-year-old home, with its hardwood floors and high ceilings, feeling lucky and guilty and numb.

PressZoom.com - Global News Service -Students recognised for £10k South Asian Earthquake relief support

PressZoom.com - Global News Service - News and Press Release Distribution: "Students recognised for £10k South Asian Earthquake relief support
Two Pakistani students from the University of Bradford were recently given an accolade for their fundraising efforts in support of the South Asian earthquake relief.



(PressZoom) - Rafat Farid, President of the University's Pakistani Society was accompanied by his Vice-President Asad Ali in a visit to Islamabad late last year to hand over £10,000 worth of fundraising they had gleaned from generous supporters in Bradford.

As a token of thanks, the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry awarded the pair a commemorative plaque on their visit. It was handed to them by Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, the Federal Minister of the Interior for Pakistan.

Rafat, a final-year Pharmaceutical Management student at the University of Bradford, said: 'We were amazed that we managed to raise so much. We were initially aiming for around two or three thousand, but to get ten thousand was incredible.

'We mainly fundraised through out society contacts at the University but we also got very generous donations from members of the Bradford community. "

New Orleans CityBusiness -- The Business Newspaper of Metropolitan New Orleans

New Orleans CityBusiness -- The Business Newspaper of Metropolitan New Orleans: "Nonprofit unity keeps services going
by April Capochino
02/13/2006

Ronn Humbles of the Traveler’s Aid Society, left, reviews paperwork while Covenant House Executive Director Stacy Horn Koch talks to Traveler’s counselor Marlon Parker. Traveler’s employees have been working out of Covenant’s House offices since Hurricane Katrina.
Ronn Humbles of the Traveler’s Aid Society, left, reviews paperwork while Covenant House Executive Director Stacy Horn Koch talks to Traveler’s counselor Marlon Parker. Traveler’s employees have been working out of Covenant’s House offices since Hurricane Katrina.
By April Capochino

Staff Writer

april.capochino@nopg.com

The Covenant House has always been bustling with teens, young adults and babies. But in October, the youth homeless shelter on the outskirts of the French Quarter reached out to small nonprofits and state offices damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Traveler’s Aid Society of Greater New Orleans, a nonprofit tasked with preventing homelessness in New Orleans, is working at the building as is the Tulane Hospital Adolescent Drop-in Center, the Metropolitan Human Services District, the Office of Family Support, the Food Stamp Program and Tulane Hospital’s walk-in clinic.

Stacy Horn Koch, Covenant House executive director, decided to invite the groups because she believes all nonprofits benefit by such collaboration.

“I hope this will last,” Koch said. “There’s a real opportunity for nonprofits to work together. There’s no room for people to have turf wars.”"

Monday, February 13, 2006

Katrina fraud, waste; dozens arrested - Hurricanes' Aftermath - MSNBC.com

Katrina fraud, waste; dozens arrested - Hurricanes' Aftermath - MSNBC.com: "MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 1:17 p.m. ET Feb. 13, 2006

WASHINGTON - The scope of fraud and waste tied to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts widened Monday, as officials announced charges against 212 people and investigators questioned decisions ranging from $438-a-day lodging to unoccupied mobile homes that are now sinking in mud."

Thursday, February 09, 2006

We are experimenting with new technology and delivery of material

This week we have begun experimenting with some additional technology. We have posted some a sample news video we found through Google video. You will see this video at the top of the site if your browser and software permit.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Getty Foundation Makes New Orleans Donation

Getty Foundation Makes New Orleans Donation: "Getty Foundation Makes New Orleans Donation

The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 8, 2006; 2:42 PM

NEW ORLEANS -- The Getty Foundation has established a $2 million fund to aid the city's visual arts organizations in the recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

'New Orleans is an extraordinary city; its arts and architecture are cherished by people all over the world,' Deborah Marrow, director of the Getty Foundation, said Wednesday in a statement."

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Calif. Man Gets Prison for Katrina Scam - Yahoo! News

Calif. Man Gets Prison for Katrina Scam - Yahoo! News: "man who pleaded guilty to impersonating a relief worker collecting donations for Hurricane Katrina victims was sentenced to a year in federal prison Monday."

Monday, February 06, 2006

Thank you for giving, Central Texas

Thank you for giving, Central Texas: "SEASON FOR CARING
Thank you for giving, Central Texas
With almost a half-million dollars in donations, you changed the lives of 12 families
By Ricardo G�ndara

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF


Sunday, February 05, 2006
Because of you, she and her longtime companion, Glyn Esco, have new dentures, and her grandchildren have a computer, new clothes and toys.
A 1998 Ford Windstar minivan and a washer and dryer also helped lessen the devastation they felt after losing all they owned in Hurricane Katrina.
'You can't replace everything we lost but what we found in Austin was very special,' she said.
Because of the generosity of thousands of donors to the Austin American-Statesman's Season for Caring campaign, Porter and Esco, her two grown daughters and six grandchildren have landed on their feet.
So have 11 other families featured in the seventh annual fundraising campaign that helps Central Texans in need and the nonprofit agencies that serve them.
This year, 2,261 donors gave $387,981.95 in cash and more than $100,000 in goods and services. (The financial donations are administered by Austin Community Foundation, which al"

St. Paul Pioneer Press | 02/05/2006 | 'This is the Taj Mahal'

St. Paul Pioneer Press | 02/05/2006 | 'This is the Taj Mahal': "'This is the Taj Mahal'BY BRIAN BONNERPioneer PressIt totals just 600 square feet, but a new home built by Minnesotans is more than enough for a Sri Lankan family of five devastated by 2004's tsunami.MONROVIA ESTATE, Sri Lanka � The tsunami happened 13 months ago. Recovery for Anil and Kamani started 12 days ago. � That's when the Sri Lankan couple and their three sons moved into a new home, courtesy of a half-million-dollar relief project by Minnesotans. � The house is modest by many standards, but a palace to them. � The dwelling, with four rooms and 600 square feet, replaces the shack where they had been 'living like animals' and battling snakes, mice and mosquitoes, Kamani said. � It is also double the size of their old seaside home, which was ruined by the tsunami that also swept away their most valuable possessions. � With the burden of homelessness lifted, they can start to live again. � 'Getting out of that shack is the most important thing,' Anil said. 'Look at this place. We went from two rooms to four rooms. This is the Taj Mahal.' � 'It is absurd to look back,' his wife said. 'A person has to look forward.' � More tsunami victims in Sri Lanka wish they could do the same."

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Inside Binghamton University

Inside Binghamton University: "Students aid Katrina survivors


Jackie Farber, left, a Jewish Campus Service Corps fellow, and Jes Koss, a junior from White Plains, look at snapshots from their
As their airplane fl ew over Gulfport, Miss., students on their way to aid in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts were struck by the blue tarps covering so many houses. A week later, those tarps held a different signifi cance for the 10 volunteers from Hillel at Binghamton.

�OK, there are still a lot of tarps there, but in a week we took down 10 of them,� junior Jes Koss remembers thinking as the group flew home.

Nine students, accompanied by Jewish Campus Service Corps fellow Jackie Farber, stayed at a church in Gulfport and helped rebuild roofs at 10 houses in nearby Biloxi. They were stunned by the devastation they saw, but also by the Southern hospitality they experienced and by the hurricane survivors� upbeat attitudes.

�Everyone there was so nice, so happy we were there,� said Koss, 20, of White Plains. �It solidifi ed the idea that � whatever your faith is � when disaster strikes, you help.� Koss had volunteered with Habitat for Humanity before, but most of the volunteers didn�t have any construction experience.

�People from the church taught us what to do,� Farber said. �Then we climbed up on the roof and we did it. It�s amazing to see what you can accomplish when you have to.�

According to the Red Cross, Katrina destroyed 68,729 houses and apartments in Mississippi.

Another 65,237 suffered major damage and an estimated 100,318 had minor damage.

The houses where the Hillel volunteers worked had been cleared of debris, but no repairs could begin until the roofs were stable and the electricity was restored. Homeowner"

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

A trend with legs as well as a heart - Business - International Herald Tribune

A trend with legs as well as a heart - Business - International Herald Tribune: "A trend with legs as well as a heart
By Thomas Crampton International Herald Tribune

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2006


DAVOS, Switzerland At this time last year, corporations great and small attending the World Economic Forum raced to contribute to the tsunami relief effort, spinning their contributions as proof of commitment to doing good.

A total of more than $11 billion was raised over the year for tsunami victims, including $1 billion from individuals and private businesses. That amount is more than 10 times larger than what was raised for any previous disaster, according to the International Business Leaders Forum, a group that promotes business involvement in development projects.

While the bumper year for crisis fund-raising did prompt some skepticism about short-term checkbook charity work, many attending Davos this year say a fundamental shift in corporate philanthropy is under way.

'In the last few years, companies have begun to move beyond traditional philanthropy and basic compliance into a new kind of corporate and social responsibility,' said Jane Nelson, director of the corporate responsibility program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. 'It is the new business environment that has prompted concrete steps by corporations.'

Critical shifts in the business environment highlighted by Nelson include a lower tolerance for bad behavior on the part of activists, and heightened compliance in the wake of Enron and other corporate scandals, combined with the global reach of even the most local media.

'Enron brought legislation to industry and, believe me, industry really does not like to be legislated,' said Alan Hassenfeld, chairman of the toy man"

FEMA to open apartments to displaced New Orleanians - Yahoo! News

FEMA to open apartments to displaced New Orleanians - Yahoo! News: "The federal government, criticized for taking too long to provide trailers to those made homeless by Hurricane Katrina, will give some New Orleanians rent-free apartments instead.
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans this week to start housing displaced people in 325 apartments left empty when Katrina triggered a massive evacuation of the city. If the pilot program works, FEMA may house as many as 20,000 individuals and families in apartments. "

Monday, January 23, 2006

Chinastic | 24-Hour Charity Drive Aids Needy

Chinastic | 24-Hour Charity Drive Aids Needy: "24-Hour Charity Drive Aids Needy
2006-01-23 09:35:19 Shanghai Daily
By Fu Yingqing - Four private companies paid 160,000 yuan (US$19,850) in total yesterday for four racehorses that were auctioned off by the Shanghai Charity Foundation."

Daily Nebraskan - Students and staff eager to continue helping Katrina victims in Mississippi

Daily Nebraskan - Students and staff eager to continue helping Katrina victims in Mississippi: "Students and staff eager to continue helping Katrina victims in Mississippi

By MEREDITH GRUNKE
January 23, 2006

Waveland, Miss., is more than 1,000 miles away. But the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s influence there isn’t finished.

During winter break more than 90 UNL students, faculty and staff members traveled to Waveland, a Gulf Coast town of about 7,000, to assist with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

On Friday evening about 80 of those trip participants gathered to share their experiences with approximately 20 other UNL administrators, faculty and staff members. Afterward, students gathered to discuss how they could continue their work in Mississippi."

Friday, January 20, 2006

Lutheran group gets $800,000 for hurricane help - 2006-01-20

Lutheran group gets $800,000 for hurricane help - 2006-01-20: "Lutheran group gets $800,000 for hurricane help

Lutheran Social Services of the South has received more than $800,000 from another nonprofit group to help with hurricane relief in Texas and Louisiana."