It has been almost a year since Hurricane Katrina made landfall and devastated Louisiana and Mississippi in particular. I can remember the days leading up to it quite vividly, watching it from college to see which way the storm would turn and preparing to take in my family in my residence there. I have lived in Slidell my entire life which is the place where the eye of the storm passed over. I'm close to New Orleans, just a short drive there, as well as another short drive to Waveland, which was leveled to the ground during the storm.
But I've resolved not to keep looking on the past, shaking my fist at God, the government, global warming or whatnot for letting this storm happen. I'm sitting at my home in Slidell, rebuilt unlike many other places around, and wondering what I can do to start rebuilding, to make this place better while our dear leader, President Bush, sits on his ass.
So, what can we do?
There is still so much to be done to make this area a decent place to live again. With all the different charities and organizations out there, it can be very hard to focus and find one place to help out. Many structures haven't rebuilt yet, so why not Habitat for Humanity? People are still in need of assistance, so how about the Red Cross? Animals were left behind and were starving, so let's help the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). It gets to be a little overwhelming, doesn't it? Like many people I've run into, they just can't donate money or time because there are so many good, deserving charities to support.
So let's focus people. I'm hoping to make more posts in the coming days and weeks to help an organization or cause that may be under supported or just deserving in general. So let's get to it.
My first cause that I have been researching is that many of the libraries and schools have had their entire collection of books and materials wiped out. I know many of you here are very highly educated, read a ton of books in general, and I know we have more than a few teachers and librarians in this community. I, myself, grew up with a ton of books by my bedside, reading voraciously. When I got assigned to work in the library my first semester of college, my parents and friends all had a good laugh at me, since I seem forever "doomed" (I say that lovingly) to work and live inside the walls of a library. So when places around here started asking for books and money, I had reason to help them and the means to do so. And I'm pretty sure y'all do to.
The Southern Political Science Association is requesting books at their site. I know many of us wish more people would get involved in politics and wish people would read things like the 9/11 Commission Book, The Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, or even the guide to United States Supreme Court decisions. All of these books are being requested on the web site, and hopefully there are a few eager members here willing to help out these people. You can even offer books that weren't listed on that page.
There is also the Dewey Donation System. The Harrison County Library System has set up wish lists on Amazon, where you can buy books and donate them to the library of your choice. There are many worthy libraries on the list and you can read about how they were hurt by Hurricane Katrina. Afterwards, you can add a little note to the site saying what you donated and why. A little recognition for your good deeds never hurts.
Maybe you don't want to donate your books or go through any hassle sending them out. That's fine too, since you can also give money to organizations so they can build up the structures housing the libraries materials as well as books. The American Library Association is taking up donations to rebuild throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and any amount can help. Go to this link and click on ALA Hurricane Katrina Library Relief Fund to get to the donation page.
Since I live near New Orleans, I'm particularly interested in helping the libraries in that area. But you can also support other areas by visiting this link here and finding another parish or county to support by scrolling to the bottom.
If you want to support New Orleans, you can give to them on their website here and either help them out through Pay Pal or by sending them a check through the mail. You can even order a Rebuild NOPL t-shirt for $23.00, which will help the New Orleans Public Library system rebuild.
I know that many people are on Katrina-overload, simply unable to hear about the continuing plight of people who were hurt by the storm, but you can't just ignore it. And the government, both national and local, seem to be getting nothing done. So it's up to the people of this nation, people like me and you. Independence Day just passed, and as the nation was celebrating, many of us down here worked the day away rebuilding our homes wondering where our fair country was when all this was happening.