Let September 11, 2001 Be the Beginning
Sep 27 '01
The Bottom Line Don’t forget the victims of smaller, less visible disasters. Support your LOCAL disaster relief services as well as the national organizations.
This week our local paper carried an article with an AP byline that starts out “The Red Cross will give grants of up to $30,000 to families of people who died or are missing in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon” and my reaction was “WOW”. As I read further I realized just how generous the American people had been these past few weeks. (Find the article here http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/092601/ame_0926010006.shtml)
And I also realize that this is the biggest disaster to hit America in our lifetime. People can give so generously because they haven’t been asked to help with something this big before. The article goes on to say “In the wake of the attacks, many charitable organizations have been flooded with donations. Relief agencies are trying to think of new ways to spend the money.” Actually, the donations are still coming in. Ebay is trying to raise $100 million in 100 days. Next month, a restaurant association is having a fundraiser for the “Windows on The World” employees’ families. I applaud every effort and every dollar raised.
But now that we know what we can do when we work together let’s use that as a blue print for continuing to help others in need. Most of us who have donated to one of the causes helping out the victims of this terrible disaster cannot continue to donate at the same level. But there are things we can do.
Donate Locally
Most communities have some organizations that help families recover from disasters. The Red Cross is one but there are plenty of other private, public, and quasi-public agencies. Find the one in your community and ask them what they need. Our local Red Cross nearly had to close shop this summer because they ran out of money. They help so many families but usually with very low profile disasters – a single-family fire seems to be most common in our community. The news makes the paper one day and then that is it. When I was on the Disaster Team we probably had one fire a week. These are not the type of disasters that elicit much sympathy and bring in many donations. But it still costs money to help get a family back on its feet.
Perhaps you still feel the need to “do something” about the September 11 attack. If you are afraid that your donation may be used in “creative” manner not to your liking, why not donate to a local group in memory of those who died on September11 or in honor of those who continue to work the disaster site. Most likely, they answer disaster calls regularly and could use the extra funds to help the next family.
More Time Than Money
If you have an hour a week or more, there are many worthy organizations that would be happy to have you help out some how. Can you answer phones, address envelopes, open mail? Do you have more specialized skills? Perhaps you can type letters, assemble information packages, or sort bills for payment. If you are really ambitious, take a community first aid course and be prepared to use it.
Do you want to be on the front line? Volunteer at the Red Cross. They are the ones charged with responding to any airline disaster. They are the contact group for the victims’ families. We had a disaster drill at our airport two years ago and it was one of the most exciting things I did. I hope I never have to use what I learned that day but if I have to, I’m ready. The drill scenario was that a 747 crashed. Several hundred teens from local youth groups played the victims. (They’d spent hours getting made up and believe me those compound fractures looked real.) Many of their parents played distraught family trying to get information. The local police and the fire department, the sheriff’s department, EMS, Salvation Army, Red Cross, several ambulance services including the helicopter ambulance, and airport employees were all involved with this drill. We spent hours on the tarmac doing triage, identifying victims, notifying family members, providing water and snacks to the rescue workers, directing traffic, and generally trying to be useful. Does this sound exciting to you? Find out how you can help locally in times of disaster.
If all that seems overwhelming to you, why not donate blood? Regularly. Every eight weeks. Most blood donation centers will take appointments. The whole process takes about an hour. Take a book or magazine to read and give yourself some quality time (then write a review of the book for Epinions).
Raising Money
Every little bit counts. Two local six-year-old cousins raised $160 selling lemonade and cookies two weeks ago. Some high school students have raised over $3,000 making ribbons and taking donations at the Mall. As time goes on, people will be less likely to continue to donate to this particular cause, probably because they already have. But you can still have a yard sale with some or all of the proceeds going to a charity. Make a sign that says proceeds going to local disaster relief (or whatever). Let the kids sell lemonade for the same cause.
I’m sure you can all think of creative ways to raise money.
Let This Tragedy Just Be the Start
Not every disaster is this big or this visible. I’ll bet there are dozens or even hundreds of smaller disasters in most communities every year. It is just about impossible to send a donation every time you hear about a fire or flood. I couldn’t afford to send money every time someone’s house burned down. (But I can afford to help the local disaster services annually with a contribution and let them decide how best to use it.)
It is absolutely marvelous how we Americans came together for this cause. I can’t say enough about impressed I am when I read about the amounts of money being donated. I just don’t want anyone to forget the victims of other, smaller, less visible disasters. They need our help, too. And if you think you have the aptitude for it, why not get some training so you, too, can volunteer to help in time of need? It is very rewarding and can be quite exciting.
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Member: Colleen Farley
Location: Lubbock, TX
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Happily married, mostly retired, and addicted to the internet.
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