in the spirit of kara

for those of us who were at the celebration of kara’s life in january, think back to the challenge that her father posed: go out and in the spirit of kara’s love of others, perform some act of kindness and pay it forward. so, for those of us who were there to here the words, and to those who were not, i would like to make a suggestion. as we all begin to come to terms with what has happened in new york and washington dc, and ask what we can do to help, please consider these options: American Red Cross needs financial and blood donations. You can only give blood every 57 days, and the Red Cross has been inundated with donors over the last two days. Think about giving blood in another week’s time when the huge wave of donors has subsided a bit. To find out more about giving blood, call your local Red Cross chapter or 1-800-GIVE-LIFE. To make financial donation, call 1-800-HELP NOW. The Red Cross web site has been down periodically but is accessible at www.redcross.org. AmeriCares, the international disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, is currently staging medical teams and assembling disaster relief modules to assist in the aftermath of the terrorist attack. They have also established a fund to aid victims. Call 1-800-486-4357 or visit www.americares.org to contribute to the “Aid for Terrorist Attack Victims.” FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) recommends the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Web site www.nvoad.org, which contains links to religious and secular volunteer groups. CityCares has listed a whole range of creative ideas for all who feel they want to contribute. Please check their website at www.citycares.org. The site will be updated daily to include volunteer information and requests coming out of DC, New York and elsewhere. The United Way and The New York Community Trust have established The September 11th Fund. Your contribution will be used to mobilize resources to respond to the urgent needs of victims and their families affected by these attacks. You may specify which city you would like your donation directed to. 100% of the contributions will be used to support needed services for victims and their families. The United Way and The New York Community Trust are underwriting all administrative costs. For more information, go to: www.uwnyc.com/epledge/sept11.cfm is is amazing the impact a small act of kindness can make. i can only hope that you, your friends and loved ones are safe. thank you & god bless. – katy