November 16, 2005

Hurricane E-Update and Special Request

Dear Quota Members,
I have two updates for you on Quota International's hurricane relief efforts now taking place in District 21. Will you please print and share this important information with your fellow club members who do not have e-mail access:

1. HURRICANE RELIEF DONATIONS TOP U.S.$40,000!
2. SPECIAL HURRICANE RELIEF REQUEST: CHILDREN'S GIFT BOXES

Currently eight relief projects have been approved and are receiving your donated funds. Go to www.wesharefoundation.org to read how your donations are being spent.

Sincerely,
Christy Herz
We Share Foundation Manager

1. HURRICANE RELIEF DONATIONS TOP U.S.$40,000!
I am proud to report that over U.S.$40,000 has been donated to Quota's Hurricane relief fund so far. Of that, nearly $33,000 has been disbursed to Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas Quotarians to help the communities hit the hardest by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. If you wish to make a new or additional donation to the hurricane relief fund sponsored by Quota International's We Share Foundation, I assure you, 100 percent of every dollar received will go to our clubs working on approved relief projects in District 21.

2. SPECIAL HURRICANE RELIEF REQUEST: CHILDREN'S GIFT BOXES
Although two months have passed since Katrina hit, we have not forgotten the people of our Gulf Coast towns, whose lives were turned upside down by this natural disaster. And now, as we enter the holiday season, you and your club might wish to consider participating in a special hurricane relief project coordinated by District 21 Lt. Governor Vicki Miller, who is also a member of QI of Mississippi Gulf Coast. Vicki and her fellow club members are heavily involved in hurricane relief efforts in District 21.

******************

Dear Fellow Quotarians,

Our children here have suffered so much. Many of them are being bussed to schools in which they are unfamiliar. Nearly all I've spoken to are traumatized but have a really good attitude. We want to make their holiday as special as possible! Won't you or your club help by sending one or more shoeboxes filled with items for children? It's very simple; shoeboxes are easy to box and ship, and nearly everyone can afford to fill at least one!

Suggest that your church, synagogue, or other community/religious organization adopt this project as well. This would be a wonderful "family project." Each child in a household could "adopt" a child of the same gender and shop for them. They should include the type of goodies that they would want to receive!

Distribution will not be a problem: I have been named to the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army, which will help with the distribution. In addition, I work part-time for a radio station and can get all kinds of shelter information from the news department.

Here are the procedures for packing and shipping boxes:

STEP 1. Use a regular paper shoebox. Gift wrapping for Christmas is wonderful, but not necessary. (Special note: If clubs collect these boxes from the general public, please inspect before wrapping. We don't want any child to receive anything dangerous or inappropriate.) Make sure you mark in some way, if the gift is for a boy, a girl, or a baby. An age preference is okay to include, but also optional.

• Do not include any "military toys" or "weapon-type" toys... this is against Salvation Army policy. Pop guns that "shoot" ping pong balls, etc., are okay.
  
  
• Please do not send anything used or "gently worn." Most everything these kids have now is just that; let's make everything brand new!
  
  
• Do not include any perishable foods or those that could melt, like chocolate. Candy canes and wrapped cookies are okay. No liquids, perfumes, or aerosol cans. Just use common sense! If it can leak or explode in heat, don't include it!
  
  
• Wal-Mart is open in most every city here, so a gift card would be terrific as well.
  
  
• Suggested items for children: (guidelines only—be creative!) mittens, slipper socks, small toys, puzzles, books, toiletry items (toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, washcloths, bar soap, shampoos in tube containers), barrettes, ribbons, brushes, stuffed animals, small purses, wallets, zipper pouches, pencils, pens, rulers, crayons, markers, small notebooks and/or journals, flashlights (toy), transistor-type radio, children's watches, bagged cookies, crackers, etc., Christmas trinkets, jump ropes, jacks (oldies, but goodies!), card games (Old Maid, Go Fish), small nerf-type footballs, softballs, baseballs, or kids sunglasses.
  
  
• Suggested items for babies: bibs, bottles, rattles, burp clothes, wash cloths, small sealed bottles of lotion, oils, powder, pacifiers, small toys, or stuffed animals.

STEP 2. Please fill each box as full as possible. That way, no child will feel slighted, and the boxes will not crush easily.

STEP 3. Please ship all boxes for delivery the week of December 9 through 16. That will give us time to sort and distribute them before Christmas. We would appreciate it if you don't ship sooner, because, frankly, none of us have a lot of room to store them right now. Ship boxes to:

Paula April
1682 Anita Court
Biloxi, Mississippi 39531

Thank you for your assistance with this special hurricane relief project. If you have any questions, please contact me via e-mail or telephone:
228-594-3719 (weekdays, 8 a.m. to 12 noon)
228-388-2323 (weekdays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
228-209-3627 (cell phone)
vmiller@mscoastcoliseum or vickimiller@clearchannel.com

Sincerely,
Vicki Miller
Lt. Gov., District 21
Quota International of Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mississippi, U.S.A.

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