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is impossible not to be gripped by the
images streaming into our homes by television
and newspaper of the unfolding tragedy
in the Bay of Bengal and its surrounding
nations. Tens of thousands
of individual people have had their
lives changed forever in an instant,
and the search for a return to some
kind of normalcy will take months.
We all feel
a need to help. This week, we are putting
aside garment care tips to focus on
getting help to those who have
have lost all. Please use the
links contained in this newsletter to
facilitate your own giving and helping.
Thank you!
Our thoughts
are with those whom we have never met,
but who desperately need to know we
care.
Ed and Mary
Longanecker
Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company |
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Her little
girl was late arriving home from school
so the mother began to scold her daughter,
but stopped and asked, "Why are you
so late?"
"I
had to help another girl. She was
in trouble," replied the daughter.
"What
did you do to help her?"
"Oh,
I sat down and helped her cry."
(Anonymous, quoted in
The Last Word by Carolyn
Warner.)
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Hands
of Hope Across the Sea
This week,
we want to join with you in reaching out to
the people who have been devastated by the tsunamis
and earthquakes in Asia. For each
$10 in drycleaning you have done, we will donate
$3 to the American Red Cross, designating it
for disaster relief. (Include
this coupon with your order. Offer expires January
22, 2005)
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Together,
we are a
Wave of Hope.
As the
details of the situation in the Bay of Bengal
continue to unfold, it is easy to become paralyzed
by the enormity of the situation. But, as people
have found for thousands of years, the
only thing to do is to start doing SOMETHING
-- however small -- and keep going until the
entire job is done.
You are probably wondering
how you can help people half a world away. What
can you send? How can you make a difference?
What do they need? Can you get help there in
time?
The
major need right now is money.
The major assistance organizations are gearing
up to get supplies of medical items, food, shelter
devices, clothing, water purification systems
and much more to the affected areas. They
are experts in this kind of relief, and know
where to go to get what is needed. Pooling our
resources behind them will make their efforts
just that much faster and easier.
Who
to give to/How to give wisely.
- Check out the important
tips available from Charity
Navigator on how to help the tsunami victims.
They include:
- directing
your funds to established charities
(since they are already well into the cycle
of getting aid where it is needed, and know
how to do it best);
- designating
your gift to the relief work;
- avoiding
telemarketers, who may try to take advantage
of this outpouring of compassion for their
own gain; and
- researching
your chosen charity. There
are outstanding charities that direct nearly
90% (or more!) of your donations to actual
relief work. There are others that are not
such good stewards of your funds. (Some
to consider: American Red Cross, 91.1%;
Mercy Corps, 91.2%; Care, 92%; Samaritan's
Purse, 89.1%; Americares, 99%; Direct Relief
International, 99.1%).
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"Some
people give time, some money, some their skills
and connections, some literally give their life's
blood... but everyone has something to give."
-- Barbara Bush
If you can't give money,
are you left out of the loop? Absolutely not.
There are many facets to helping out in a disaster
like this one. Consider
giving in other ways, as well:
- If
you own a company that can give products or
services that would be helpful,
contact the charitable organization of your
choice and let them begin to figure out how
to make use of your gift. Transportation,
warehousing space, people to help put shipments
together, computer skills -- all are needed.
- Volunteer
for your local chapter of a charity that is
helping overseas. This not
only gets you involved in the solution, it
frees up others to work on specific projects
that are related to the situation in Asia.
Offer to answer phones and help take down
donation information, or to do computer data
entry, or any other project that needs doing.
- Look
for opportunities to help someone who is involved
in the situation there --
even if it's making phone calls for someone
seeking information on a loved one, or doing
internet searches to help people get in touch
with one another. Being available
to help is the first step, and you'll be surprised
what will crop up.
Links
for Giving:
- Amazon.com
-- Yes, you can donate quickly and efficiently
through Amazon to the American Red Cross disaster
relief efforts. As
of this writing, over $ 6 million has been
donated through this venue, by nearly 9,500
people. Go check out
the page, and hit Refresh a couple of times
to see the total grow. It will encourage
you to join in!
- Care
-- A well-known organization that already
has staff in the area. Read their first-hand
accounts.
- American
Red Cross -- well-known and respected,
the Red Cross is hurrying supplies and personnel
to the disaster site.
- Samaritan's
Purse -- another organization that has
been active in relief work all over the globe,
and which has been in Asia for many years.
- CNN.com
has a list of organizations with links
to each.
Thank
you for caring.
Ed
and Mary Longanecker |
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