I've been around since about the beginning. I've never posted before, but I sometimes comment and I always read.
I'm a proffie at a large public college in New Jersey. Thankfully my town was spared the worst of Hurricane Sandy, and our power was only off for about 18 hours.
Now, in response to many friends and colleagues around the country, I'm letting everyone know how great I think the Red Cross is. (I know RYS and CM have a history of donating money to the organization).
If you want to help the folks on the eastern seaboard who need help, I believe the best and fastest way to do it is through the Red Cross.
You can send money by going to this site.
Or you can Text REDCROSS to 90999 on your mobile phone. That automatically will add $10 to your mobile bill.
I feel unbelievably fortunate that nobody in my circle of colleagues or family were hurt. Some of them were evacuated. Some have moved in with family and friends (two of my colleagues are in my guest room!). But others were not so fortunate, and the efforts to clean up this state and others is just starting.
Forgive me, because I know everyone has causes they believe in, but I'm grateful the mods have let me share mine.
Yours in (relative) academic misery,
Kimmie of the Kensington Kimmies
Does it matter if "REDCROSS" is all caps? Would "Redcross" be ok? How about "Redcrescent" or "Redcrystal"? No caps lock on my phone. And I'd like to shoot for diversity since my school's president says it's important.
ReplyDeleteKimmie, I appreciate your comments -- I hadn't realized you aren't a poster! Thanks for these tips.
ReplyDeleteyB the bye, Bubba, usually you can caps by hitting the star key before hitting the numbers, if you have an old fashioned phone (ie, no minature computer)
But no it won't need to be caps.
I humbly object to the post. If we start posting requests for support for any deserving cause (I can probably think ten or twelve right now) we are going to swamp the forum.
ReplyDeleteWe thought of that, too, Professeur, and relented because of Kimmie's long history with the page, and with RYS/CM's long history with the Red Cross. But your objection is noted. We'll carefully consider future items like this.
DeleteI humbly endorse the post, because every once in a while we need to be reminded that there's misery...and then there's MISERY. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteI was teaching in New Orleans when Katrina hit, and I can attest that the Red Cross was on the ground very quickly providing much-needed assistance. They also stayed for a good long time, providing hot meals and basic supplies in neighborhoods with no electricity. Their volunteers were also crucial in setting up information hubs in addition to just plain being really, really nice, supportive people during a difficult time.
ReplyDeleteI was an adjunct at the time, and had very little financial buffer to get through those months when schools were closed. The Red Cross was great, and anyone inclined to donate to them can feel confident that there donation will do real good.
I also humbly endorse the post, even while I see the Professeur's point. I'm glad the RGM allowed it, not only because of Kimmie but because of the unprecedented breadth and depth of the damage and the very clear lack of any political agenda in the Red Cross.
ReplyDelete