Some of you may recall I headed to Montgomery, AL about three weeks ago as a Red Cross volunteer. I expected to be sent into the Gulf area after checking in at the Red Cross headquarters here. Instead, I was recruited to stay and supervise a team supporting shelters and volunteers in the field.
The reason for this diary is to ask for assistance for a teenage boy from New Orleans I've met. He and his mother and sister are staying in my hotel. FEMA has moved them here, pending more permanent housing--which means mobile homes. From what they've been told they'll be staying in the hotel at least another month, if not longer.
The boy's mother is a lovely woman named Sylvia. Her son got my attention first, because seeing kids day after day in hotels in the middle of a school year is a bizarre thing. His name is Josh and he is attending a local high school; he has also joined the football team. He seems like a typical teen boy, and so his mom says it's hard to tell how affected he is by the turmoil of leaving his home and friends behind. She said he cried for the first time about a week ago, but otherwise has been pretty stoic about things. She also told me that his best friend is coming to visit him next Friday (it's a surprise), so that should cheer him up.
Here's the thing--the poor kid is in the hotel lobby almost every night, trying to do his homework. The only computer available to guests is in the lobby, and so he's stuck there with all the noise and distractions. Frequently hotel guests interrupt him to ask if they can use the computer to check their email, etc., since they too are away from home. His mom said that when he gets back to the hotel after football practice sometimes there are already people on the computer, so he can't use it till mid-evening...which makes for a late night finishing class assignments requiring research or word-processing.
Every room in this hotel, however, has a free broadband connection. I was thinking the perfect solution would be to buy Josh a laptop. That's where you come in...if you can contribute, or forward this to anyone who would be interested in helping, or post it on any other online forum you frequent, I'd really appreciate it. Dell has laptops starting at around $499, so even small donations will add up. I'm also asking my family, friends and co-workers back home to help.
For the record, Josh's mother and older sister have already found temporary jobs and are working in the Red Cross headquarters. They did not approach me or any other hotel guests for help. In fact, his mother said that the people of Montgomery have been so welcoming she feels overwhelmed by kindness. This is in stark contrast to the five days she spent in the Convention Center with her children and her own mother; but she is not at all bitter. She says that she can only pray that what they went through that week will result in wiser government.
Please email me if you can help. I will email you back with the name of the hotel and any other details you want about Josh and his family. I've told the desk staff (and received permission from his mother) that I intended to do this, and they will confirm any calls asking about a high school kid from New Orleans needing an early Christmas present...Josh himself does not know about the plan, because I didn't want to disappoint him if I fell far short.
If enough people agree to help I'll set up an account at a local bank for PayPal, or you can send a check to me here. I'll be staying in Montgomery for at least another week, maybe two.
I realize that there are many unfilled needs, and that food, clothing and shelter come before computers. Josh is actually one of the "lucky" ones, in many respects. But he's still hurting, and this is an easy way to help bring some sense of normalcy to his life. I suspect that doing an English paper in a hotel lobby isn't something very many adults could pull off successfully.
Email me if you can help, or simply want more details. I'll give a Yahoo email addy here, but will respond with my ISP email account and will provide more information upon request.
And thanks for your kindness.
