Happy New Year & Tsunami Reflections

[SirSaxa]

I'd like to wish all Hoya fans a Happy and Healthy New Year.
I also ask that we remember the victims and survivors of the tragic Tsunami in South Asia... in our thoughts, our prayers, and -- if possible -- in our donations.

There are many worthy organizations that could put donations to good use. International Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and so on.

One of my clients is UNICEF -- the United Nations Fund for Children. I spoke to them this week to see what I might do, and they sent me the following via email. I share it with you for your consideration. Any amount, large or small, will help.


<<
We are asking people like yourself to help collect funds for the kinds of materials UNICEF provides in emergency situations:

· Emergency health supplies and medicines.
· Oral rehydration therapies to prevent diarrheal dehydration.
· High-protein biscuits to prevent malnutrition.
· Basic shelter materials for displaced families.
· Water purification tablets.
· Longer-term assistance will likely include educational supplies, additional health supplies and sanitation materials

Donations can be made on the web:
www.UNICEF.org

or
Please make checks out to the U. S. Fund for UNICEF and write that the funds are for the South Asia Tsunami Fund.

U.S. Fund for UNICEF
333 East 38th Street
New York, NY 10016

We do not send volunteers from the US to field programs. However keep checking our website: www.unicefusa.org for up to date information on what UNICEF is doing and how you can help.

We appreciate whatever funds you are able to help us raise. Thank you for your concern and compassion>>


For those who may not know, UNICEF was established by the UN in 1947 to provide for displaced families and children in Europe and elsewhere after WWII. It raises money from the industrialized nations and has been providing emergency services -- especially for children -- throughout the third world ever since. Whatever support anyone is able to provide will be put to immediate good use and will be much appreciated.

Best wishes to all and my thoughts and prayers are with those who have been so severly impacted.

[TBird41]

I posted this earlier in the Blue & Grey Forum, but I'll post it here again-this site has a list of most of the major relief organizations. I urge everyone to try and donate something: My friend is in Sri Lanka right now (she's fine) and the stories she related in her email were heart wrenching. It really is as bad as the news services make it look.

Anyway, here's the link:

www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/quake.aidsites/index.html

[HoyaLawya]

In addition to UNICEF, the international humanitarian arm of Catholic Charities -- Catholic Relief Services hq'ed in Baltimore -- announced $25 million to help tsunami victims.

seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Tsunami%20Catholic%20Relief

The main thing is to link up your (our) donation with an organization with an established track record and a high percentage of its gross $$$ revenue actually reaching those in need, rather than getting diverted to overhead and over-staffing.

[DFW HOYA]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll post a link on the front page with various relief agencies that people can support online.

[lichoya68]

very nice and very right to post these we all need to put bball and life into perspective.. go hoyas lets all help out in this unreal disaster life is precious lets appreciate what we got live life everyday and help in such an unbelievabel event the most at least in my time .. bball is a game a fun game but a game..

[Nevada Hoya]

Thanks to all for their suggestions on how to contribute. One of the problems with relief in a tragedy of this magnitude is getting the relief supplies in the right hands. The organizations suggested have good track records. There is a priest in Las Vegas from Sri Lanka, and he started collecting supplies to send to his sources in his home country. They need all the support that they can muster.