One way to help with Hurricane Katrina...
Mood:
chillin'
Now Playing: These Days...Rascal Flats...
Topic: human events
I've been really disappointed with all the carping, blaming, and other irresponsible nonsense going on during this hurricane response in the Southeast...
Newt Gingrich and Fareed Zakaria had a really constructive conversation this morning on This Week with George Stephanopolous about future government emergency responses...Fareed emphasizing the need for investing in and rebuilding public infrastructure...and for more effective government responses, at the federal, state and local levels...
...and Newt with excellent ideas around devolving public responsibilities from large government bureaucracies to smaller, leaner, more effective government and private groups to create more decentralized efforts to deal with such a crisis...two very valuable suggestions, I think:):)...Newt's, in particular, to more substantially increase the number and variety of responses and efforts to help in such a tragedy...an advantage of the current response that most of us totally take for granted...but which we could still dramatically improve with a suggestion like Newt's, I think:):):)...
And George Will waxed eloquently on peoples' constant tendency to overestimate what government can do...something I very much agree with:):)...
And George Stephanopolous and Chris Matthews both, to their credit, did something novel as journalists:):):):)...to have constructive conversations that were sympathetic to the very dedicated efforts of public servants to deal with serious catastrophies, like this one...George more successfully with guests better engaged in that effort in Fareed and Newt...
Barack Obama had some very "soul-searching" comments on Chris Matthews, to use his words, that were a much better example of the thoughtful, constructive leadership that Democratic leaders might offer than anything I've heard, as of yet, from Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, or Harry Reid...
And my stepmom, Marilyn Kodish-Sutherland, sent an email, today, that outlined the efforts of her and my father and the hotel staff and volunteers in Dallas to provide shelter, food, assistance with finding housing and jobs, medical assistance, computers and internet access for evacuees to register with FEMA...very inspiring...and very expensive...
So...here's the deal:):):)...
If you want to contribute to efforts to help with Hurricane Katrina...
You can contribute to the Red Cross, which seems to have the most visible non-profit presence in dealing with this situation...
You can pay taxes:):):)...and maybe then some...to help support the Federal effort (and if you're in the relevant localities, to support local and state efforts)...
And you can donate to this fund that has been set up to help folks who have relocated to the downtown Dallas area, for now:):):)...
There are specific efforts you can donate to -- gas cards for people who need gas for their cars until they get paychecks...or donations to sponsor families staying at the hotel (about $55 per night) -- or you can donate more directly to either the hotel effort...or the efforts of a local non-profit, the Bajito Onda Katrina Fund, a 501(c)(3)...
Thanks for everything you might have to offer to this effort...including, as Marilyn mentions, any and all brilliant ideas that you might offer to better support people struggling with this terrible tragedy...
And thanks, of course, to Marilyn and my dad to giving so generously amidst this terrible tragedy...very impressive to me...
Marilyn's letter, below, has many more details:):):)...
Thanks so much mom and dad, for all your help:):):)...and to everyone who has given and contributed to help with Katrina's survivors (finally, a time where that word seems appropriate:):):)...
Love,
Ben
Dear Friends & Family,
Most of you know Chuck and I own a hotel in Dallas Texas. We have had 800 people at the hotel who are survivors of the hurricane since Katrina
hit.
We've got over 300 this weekend and we're getting a new influx on Monday.
People came to our hotel, expecting to stay for a day or two. When the hurricane hit, they lost their home, their job, everything. The paychecks
they were expecting never arrived. Other hotels turned people away when they couldn't pay but we couldn't do that. And when we found out the
only meal people were getting was our free breakfast because they had no money, we started feeding them 3 meals a day at no charge to them. It costs about
$1500 to provide 3 meals a day.
We have already moved 75 families into apartments (where we arranged 3 months free rent). Each family that has moved into an apartment received a
move-in package with household furnishings, linens, etc. put together by local churches. We're getting 75 more move-in packages tomorrow in
anticipation of moving the next group out to apartments.
We had our first job fair to help them get work last Wednesday, 2 days after the hurricane hit. Over 50 people have received permanent jobs and the
other adults have received temporary jobs (although many are minimum wage which isn't enough to support their families). We have people fill out
a universal application which we are sharing with companies who are looking to hire people. Today while I was at the hotel someone from Eatzi's (a
gourmet caf?/store) came to review applications and will be setting up interviews in
the next day or two.
Before the hurricane hit, we had one computer for our guests in the lobby. Within a few days of the hurricane, a church donated 5 more which are
in use all the time - so people can access services online and find their family members.
We have a warehouse full of donated clothes and shoes in bags and boxes that have to be sorted so that people can find clothes that will fit. We
need volunteers right now to do that. We also need volunteers to help people apply for their benefits online, find family members, get prescriptions
filled, and listen or whatever else they need.
These people are starting from scratch. It is unimaginable. Many do not know where their family members are. They have no job, no access to
money, a future full of uncertainty. They are so grateful for everything we do and are traumatized by what they have been through. And they need their
neighbors - that's you and me - now!
A member of Congress - Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson - is coming to our hotel tomorrow to see what we're doing and meet some of the
survivors.
Our local CBS affiliate - Channel 11 - reported on our "relief efforts" on Wednesday, saying "the Quality Inn hotel is the best organized relief
organization in Dallas". That is an amazing acknowledgement of the hotel staff and community that has combined efforts to service our guests.
We are hopeful we can get at least partial reimbusement for the housing portion
but haven't figured out how to do that yet!
What can you do?
1) Volunteer! Come to the hotel to sort clothes, help people navigate the system, just listen. We need people every day all day and will continue to need people until they are all settled into jobs and permanent housing. Everything makes a difference.
2) Donate a $50 gas credit card for people who have cars so they can drive to work (they need gas money the first week or two until they get paid)
3) Donate a gas card (so people have gas money their first week of work until they get paid) and/or a Walmart or Target gift cards (for special
needs like adult diapers for their grandmother or extra large clothes that are not donated or special clothes/uniform for their job or for household
items as part of the move-in package)
4) Donate money: (without this we can't provide the relief services we are committed to providing)
- Sponsor a family by paying for their housing and food - it costs about $55 night for each family
- Contribute to or sponsor a move-in package for when they move to an apartment (cost is about $500)
- Help us provide relief services like an extra van ($1600) to transport people to the FEMA or Red Cross office, etc.
5) Come up with brilliant ideas for what else is needed by these amazing survivors and take it on to help us provide that!
If you can make donations to the hotel directly, please write a check to the Quality Inn Market Center and trust us to use it to feed and house
these people. If you want to make a tax deductible donation, you can write a check to the Bajito Onda Katrina Fund which is a special 501(c)(3) fund
created in partnership with a local nonprofit to support our guests who are survivors.
To volunteer, show up!
The attached article is from the Dallas Morning News earlier this week and the end of the article talks a little about our hotel.
Why am I sending you this?
1) So you know what Chuck and I are doing as owners of the Quality Inn
2) So you have some sense of what is needed by these people as they create a
new life from scratch in a new city
3) So you know how you and others can make a difference for the survivors and for us in providing relief services
Each of you receiving this is someone who wants to make a difference with others. Thank you for whatever you can do, including sharing this
with others. Every conversation, every effort whether at our hotel or in your
own community will make a difference.
Marilyn Sutherland
Quality Inn Market Center
1955 Market Center Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75207
hotel: 214-747-9551
My cell: 214-797-9916
My home office: 214-696-6926
Email: kodish@swbell.net
The following is a recent note by a friend of mine who has been
volunteering
at the hotel.
============================================================================
============
Date: Thu, 08 Sep 2005
Subject: Katrina Update from the Quality Inn
Once again I was at the hotel this afternoon and things are changing
rapidly. Here are just a few of them:
We secured a truck yesterday to take our overflow clothing to Salvation
Army, but there was no room at the inn at any of their locations. Also
no
room at Texas Stadium for anything but new items. So all our overflow
is
back at the hotel in the warehouse area, free for guests at the hotel
to
take advantage of once they are sorted.
A funny thing happened this afternoon while I was in the warehouse
(there is
a huge one behind the hotel). A family of five was in the warehouse,
going
through boxes and bins and picking up things. They had three or four
laundry
baskets and had filled them to the brim and then some. As they came by
us on
the way back to the hotel, I noticed they must have had 40 pairs of new
socks. Wow, I said to my new friend Adam, did you see they have about
40
pairs of new socks. Yep, he said. That's a lot of socks, I said. Yep,
he
said. Probably more than they need, I said. Yep, he said.
At which point my objections kind of petered out. Oh, I said, the game
is to
give it all away. Yep, he said.
Well, I don't know if that conveys it, but I was trying to conserve
what we
had and we clearly had mountains more stuff than we need. It is a sea
of
generosity.
A doctor came down this afternoon to see patients. A pharmacist came to
help
with prescriptions. Three or four other medical professionals came as
well.
We found a local drug store that will deliver the prescriptions.
A church group is working on putting together more move-in kits for
families
moving into apartments. Another church group called about managing one
of
the meals on Sunday. Some bunch of guys showed up to cook dinner. It
smelled so-o-o-o good.
We are hosting a "block party" for all the guests on Saturday
afternoon. My
boss has given the tent we use all summer for a tent sale and I got a
local
tent company to volunteer labor and supervision and come down Saturday
morning and put the thing up on the parking lot.
Here is what is needed acutely now (besides the continuing need for
cash)
--VOLUNTEERS ON A REGULAR OR SCHEDULED BASIS.
Please take on calling the hotel and volunteering to be there at a
certain
time (3 hour minimum, please) with a carload of friends. Call the
Katrina
Central desk at 214 747 9511. We are very short during regular business
hours and on week nights. We need 10 to 15 volunteers from 9 am to 9
pm.
Every day.
Ask a group of co-workers, or your family, or your soccer team ... and
your
group will have a big impact. Just carve out a time and let them know
you?re
coming.
There is something for every skill level ‹ physical work like cooking
or
sorting the mountains of clothes, talking with the guests and just
helping
them sort things out, making phone calls, confirming all the myriad
agencies
and entities who are coming to the hotel, playing with kids, working
with
each family to make sure they are applying for all the benefits they
are
eligible to receive.
Today I got the tent, lent my cell phone to someone trying to track
down her
mail that?s still being delivered someplace in New Orleans, took
pictures of
a little boy in someone?s borrowed house slippers, hugged a lady I?ve
seen
each day I?ve been there, got half a dozen volunteers started on some
project or another, brainstormed with my friend Adam about what to do
in the
warehouse to make it work for everyone, accepted the offer at the dry
cleaner?s of dozens of unclaimed cleaned and starched shirts on hangers
to
be delivered to the hotel in the next few days, carried several sacks
of
school supplies that had been donated from the office to the store
where
guests have access to them, etc. See, you could have done any of that,
too.
So drum up a car load and come on down.
That?s all my Katrina report for tonight. Guests are still in good
spirits.
Those computers in the lobby are really in use. Almost all the adults
at the
hotel who want work have found something. Several families are moving
out to
apartments. And whatever you?re doing, including just talking with your
friends, it?s making a difference.
Posted by benfrankln
at 12:05 PM CDT
