This is a follow up to a
diary I posted a week ago about a 16 year old high school kid named Josh, a New Orleans evacuee living in a hotel in Montgomery Al. For Josh and his family, as well as
600,000 other hurricane victims, a hotel room has become home.
Josh drew my attention because seeing a high school kid trying to do homework in a hotel lobby night after night is an unusual thing. I posted a diary and requested assistance, hoping to raise some quick cash to buy him an inexpensive laptop. The response was far more generous than I expected, and many people offered to donate. Kos user c also offered to send a laptop from his company right away, which I gratefully accepted. But many here raised the question as to whether there are other kids out there in need of an early Christmas as well.
The good news is that Kossack c's package arrived on Friday, and we delivered it to Josh via the hotel staff. I looked on from another part of the lobby, with another hotel worker who was as excited as I was, as he returned from football practice. He was headed straight toward the lobby PC when one of the staff called him over to tell him he had a package behind the front desk. He looked really surprised, and had the biggest smile on his face when they handed the box to him. I heard him ask if it was Christmas in October (no fooling), and then he put the big bow I attached on top of his head.
As Josh read C.'s letter he kept looking around the lobby with a decidedly confused expression, but then he finally took the laptop bag out of the box and peered inside. Another huge smile, and then one of the hotel staff pointed in my direction...and then he walked towards me with his arms open for a hug. He said "thank you" and "DAG..." several times, and then got to work booting it up.
Deanna (hotel staff) took a pic with her picture phone as Josh happily mugged for the camera. He told me that he had just gotten a job at a Winn Dixie before the hurricane, and had intended to start saving for a laptop because his mom was "always hogging the computer". Sylvia replied something along the lines of "that boy is crazy". :)
It's difficult to convey Josh's happiness in words, and while there is a pic I haven't seen the family this weekend to ask their permission to post it. Hopefully I'll speak with them by the day's end. I will say that the moment was absolutely the highlight of my three+ weeks here. Josh said he could come up with the names of a few schoolmates in hotels in need as well...he wasn't sure if his friend Jonathon (coming in from Atlanta) needed one, but he'd start with him.
On my end, I spoke with the Attorney General's office in my state to see what was required to establish a non-profit fund to purchase a few laptops. Unless we surpass $25k, no further filing with the AG office in my state is required. I established a bank account in the name of Hurricane Katrina Laptop Fund, and applied for a tax id with the IRS as a non-profit organization.
If you would like to help, please contribute via PayPal:
The email address is katrinalaptopfund@yahoo.com. If you prefer to send a check, email me and I'll send you my temporary address here in Montgomery. I am also happy to give out my cell and landline number for confirmation purposes.
I have a rare afternoon off, so I'm going to venture out and go march on Selma or something. Loads of history here, and free time has been at a premium so I want to take in what I can while the sun's shining. If you have any questions or concerns, I'll address them this evening.
Again, my deepest thanks to Santa c and all Kossack elves.