Caravan4Christmas

Chapter 3 - The Distribution

2005-12-30T20:22:00.000-05:00

I'm going to let the photos speak for themselves:

Chapter 2 - Ms. Johnson's Family

2005-12-27T21:37:00.000-05:00

One thing missing from our drive and our New Orleans excursion on Saturday was seeing the effect that Katrina had on the people. We saw buildings and signage and streets. On Sunday, we would be able to focus on the people. Sunday morning, we got up early and headed to Gonzales to meet Ms. Johnson’s family. Ms. J is a sixty year-old black woman, New Orleans native, and feisty little grandma. When Katrina came, Ms. J packed up her family in the one car they could salvage and headed out of town. They set up camp at a Holiday Inn and have been there ever since. This is home for them now. Although we would not get to personally meet all the recipients of our gifts, we were surely going to meet Ms. J’s family.

We spent the better part of our morning trying to figure out what would be the first thing we would say. How do you even begin to tell a family whose life has just been swept away that you are there to bring them Christmas? Will they be insulted by being your charity case? Will they turn away the pity they think you have for them? Will they shed tears of joy for what little they are receiving? It took Ms. J a little over thirty minutes to answer the door. When she finally did open the door, things were awkward at first, but she eventually welcomed us into her home with open arms.

Her home. Room 113 at the Holiday Inn. Not a suite, not a penthouse, merely a hotel room with two double beds. Nicole was sitting on the bed nearest to us nursing 6 week old Cameron. The other bed, they call this “the hole”, was occupied by Ms. Blackwell. Ms. B is 95 years old, in diapers with a feeding tube. Standing around the room were the rest of the family: Colin is 10, Kevin is 12, Edith is 37 and Joanne is 38. In case you lost count: that is eight people. Eight people living in Room 113 at the Holiday Inn. They had a mini-fridge, a microwave, a short supply of food, and some clothing. Things were literally stacked up to the ceiling. They only brought with them the things they could fit in the trunk of the one car they could salvage. A car that was now broken down. Looking around the room, there was barely room for us to stand much less, for the gifts we brought. We had a lot of things for the baby, figuring this would help everyone. We had also made a special stop to get two matching bikes for Colin and Kevin. Ms. J teared up when she saw the bikes, saying “praise the Lord, now someone can go to the grocery store.” My heart sank. While I was glad some of Ms. J’s chores will be eased, I was saddened that these bicycles will not bring the joy to these two children that it will to others around the country. With these bikes, comes more responsibility laid upon their shoulders.

We stayed and spoke with Ms. J and her family for a while. They talked about how difficult it was to live in such close quarters, especially with a baby. They expressed their disgust at FEMA and others they feel are not helping them. They spoke of saving Ms. B so she didn’t “float away in the storm.” They talked about living day by day. They have a rental car now so Edith and Joanne can get to work, but that will have to go back on Monday. They have looked for apartments but just cannot afford anything. Post-Katrina, one bedroom apartments in Baton Rouge are going for $1500. Come January 7^th (or February 7^th depending on what Congress decides) Ms. Johnson and her family will have to leave. Nicole has a small amount of money saved and asked the manager at the hotel if they could stay in their room until they find somewhere else to live. They said no. The Holiday Inn is ready to get things at their hotel back to normal. Ms. Johnson balks at the word normal. She and her family won’t know normal for quite some time.

Chapter 1 - The Drive

2005-12-24T17:24:00.000-05:00

The sun had finally risen on Saturday morning around the time we got onto Interstate-10. This was "the homestretch". I knew the I-10 portion of this drive like the back of my hand; after all, this was the way home from the beach when I was a child. I was looking forward to the familiarity. In Mobile, Alabama, after a two hour trip to Wal-Mart at six in the morning, we stopped for some nourishment. The Golden Arches were still standing high but the rest of the sign was gone. We thought enough of it to take a picture, but not enough to realize this marked the beginning of what would be a long stretch displaying the wrath of Katrina.

Once we crossed into Mississippi, things became more apparent. Trees were downed everywhere, but that is pretty par for the course in a bad storm. I did take my camera out when I noticed a twisted metal billboard. It was if the top just snapped and was hanging there. We wondered about the forceful wind that took down the sign inviting you to rest for the night with free cable. As we rounded the curve, we noticed that all of the billboards seemed to have followed suit. It was as if they had just bowed down to Katrina. Sitting so high and wide, they didn’t stand a chance. Around Gulfport, we needed to stop and fill up the truck with gas. The sign on the interstate said Chevron was 0.3 miles north and Texaco was 0.3 miles south. Seeing that the Chevron sign was pretty much gone, we took a left to head to Texaco. The truck went over I-10 and rested at the bottom of a hill in a parking lot which used to have a shopping center. The Texaco was now a huge pile of rubble with a little pink shoe. We filled up at Chevron and got back on the road

Around Biloxi, things began to feel as if we were entering a war zone. Katrina left her mark on much more than the trees and signs. Many of the cars and trucks presumably swept up by the storm remained wherever they landed, many of which were right on the side of the interstate. At one point we saw a boat, upside down and tattered, resting comfortably in the median of I-10. We were still limited in the destruction that we could see from the interstate. By this time, the familiarity I had come to know as a child was all but gone.

Once we hit New Orleans, we exited I-10 and proceeded around the city in our Penske. We drove around some of the residential areas for a while just trying to take it all in. Maneuvering the sixteen foot truck was not a problem because there just wasn’t any traffic. Still near I-10, we parked the truck and walked around. Up to this point, we had been driving along with the windows up and the radio blaring. Turning that truck off and opening the doors to a deafening silence was not quite what I expected. Walking down the street, so many of the words from my family and friends came to mind: surreal, indescribable, eerie, ghost town. Steph turns to me and says “it’s like one of those Sci-Fi movies where some disaster swept through town and made time stand still.” It was very much as she said, with the exception of the Sci-Fi part; this was reality. I stood there, in the middle of Elysian Field on a Saturday around noon and there was not a car or person in sight. That, in and of itself was strange, but even stranger was the piercing sounds of nothing all around us. As I was taking photos, I was startled by the noise of a screen door continually slamming against the side of a house.

Looking down the street, Katrina’s mark was everywhere. She took the form of spray paint all over houses letting people know that they had been inspected. She threw trees into cars and cars into homes. She ripped apart living rooms and bed rooms and left their contents in the front yards. She piled up the contents of people’s lives for everyone to see: clothes still on hangers, coffee mugs, trophies and “mom” t-shirts were strewn in front yards. Then, when she was almost done, she left her watermark on everything. It looked as if some great creature took a brown marker and painted a stripe across everything standing on these city streets. Just in case anyone missed the wind damage, Katrina wanted them to know she was there.

The silence followed Steph and I back into the truck as there were just no words worthy of what we had just seen. We cried. She said “a whole town, gone...never to return.” I disagreed. If I know one thing about my fellow Louisianians, they are a stubborn breed. New Orleans will be back. That much I know.

We pulled over again to walk the streets of the French Quarter hoping to regain the spirit of Louisiana. Artists were in the streets, patrons were in the bars, shops were re-opened. The numerous t-shirt shops had new shipments spouting “I survived Katrina”, “The Battle of New Orleans 2005” and some with choice words about FEMA that I shall not repeat. Most places were only taking cash and everyone had hand-written help wanted posters in their windows. We stocked up at Aunt Sally’s and headed to Café DuMonde for some beignets and coffee. Aside from the ethnic make-up of the wait-staff being different than it used to be, the Café Au Lait and three pack of beignets still hit the spot. As we wiped the powdered sugar from our jeans, we were approached by a stranger (not uncommon in Nola). She merely wanted to tell us thank you for coming to her city. She said she was a native New Orleanean and said it was so good to see people coming to her city again. I didn’t have a chance to introduce myself before she had moved on to the next table to thank them as well. That Southern hospitality...that is what will rebuild New Orleans. We got back into the Penske feeling as if we had seen one side of a city: beat down worn and tattered and the other side of this great city proud and determined and ready to move forward.

Home Sweet Home

2005-12-18T15:44:00.000-05:00

I just want to let everyone know that the Caravan has arrived safely. I got into the Penske around 11am (DC time) on Friday. Steph got into the Penske around 7:30 Friday evening. We both got out of the Penske around 5pm (Louisiana time) on Saturday. That sure is a lot of time in the cab of a Penske. We each got about 2.5 hours of sleep, although not simultaneously. We also spent a few hours in Alabama spending another $1,000 at Wal-Mart and we took a few hours walking around New Orleans.

I will write all about it when the dust settles a bit.

On the Road.

2005-12-17T18:04:00.000-05:00

(Ed's note: written Friday night, but not posted until Saturday afternoon.)

Kinda like Roger Clemens, but without the blistering fastball, I have been called out of semi-retirement to bring you this special “Live” blog of the Caravan 4 Christmas journey from DC, or “Winterland” as my South American friends call it, to The South.

Santa's Little Helpers Laura and Stephanie are having a jolly good time driving the toys to Louisiana. As of 10 pm Friday night, the 16’ Penske® is being piloted by intrepid driver Stephanie and guided by navigator Laura who, upon deciding that driving a 100 ton truck while drowsy was not a good idea, relinquished the driving duties after the last fuel stop. The pair are somewhere in North Carolina, a.k.a. “The State That Never Ends” (yeah, try driving through Texas on I-10 – Ed.), about 40 miles from South Carolina.

Driving apparently gives the mind time to think about other things. Things such as The Official something-or-other of Caravan 4 Christmas. For example:

Official Truck of Caravan 4 Christmas: Penske®. [Rainman] “Uhaul sucks.” [/Rainman].

Official Drink of Caravan 4 Christmas (upon arrival, and after the driving is done): Egg Nog Daiquiri.

Official Travel Drink of Caravan 4 Christmas: Red Bull.

Official Travel Snack of Caravan 4 Christmas: Cheetos.

Official Song of Caravan 4 Christmas: Funky Town, by Lipps, Inc.

Official Food of Caravan 4 Christmas: Wendy’s, at least until they got tired of eating it.

Other fun facts about the trip: It costs $70 to fill the gas tank. And, the truck has a sticker that says “Truck not equipped to exceed 75 mph.” I wonder if that means that they got one of the trucks without a flux capacitor?

And in case anybody was worried, Laura’s Mom has assured both Laura and Stephanie that yes, they will have the opportunity to hug a kid before traveling back to Winterland.

idlegrasshopper

The day is here

2005-12-16T07:28:00.000-05:00

Me and her in one of these with lots of these heading south. This is going to be wonderful. I will keep you posted!

Entering December

2005-12-02T10:16:00.000-05:00

It's Friday and the week is not over yet. First, let us reflect on the days past:

The GW Law School had a toy drive all week that helped us get a couple of boxes full of toys and a little over $300. Most importantly, though, it gave a lot of people an opportunity to help out in a hands on way. I had many conversations with people who, if nothing else, want to send love down South. They want those hurting to know that we all do care.

My fabulous law school helpers!!!

Along those lines, I am also grateful and proud to say that the DC Bloggers chose to sponsor Caravan4Christmas at their year end happy hour. The outpouring of support was unbelievable. I spent the evening getting the opportunity to meet many of the lovely ladies and gentlemen who are supporting this cause. I also walked away with $350 to buy toys. It was inspiring to see just how far the reach of DC Bloggers goes. In fact, we even got a donation from a group in Georgia that could not be at the happy hour.

Me and Kathryn (one of the gracious hostesses)

As of this morning, we had raised $988 this week alone, putting our total well over $2500!

Tomorrow, though, tomorrow we will get to see how it is all coming together. Holly has coordinated an "Operation Toy Drop" at the storage facility and over 150 invitations went out. I envision volunteers getting to meet, people stopping by with bags full of toys, coffee and donuts and of course a whole lot of Christmas Spirit!

Letter to Satan

2005-11-29T23:29:00.000-05:00

Dear Satan,

I am writing to tell you that I think it is time you give up because I don't think you have any clue what you are up against here.

You can take two of my committee members and whisk them to far away cities. You can take a simple idea and turn it into a tax nightmare. You can throw emotional crises at my friends that need me the most right now. You can speak through people in piercing words like "Katrina has just been in our newspaper too much, it is time to move on." You can make FEMA nonresponsive and force them to ignore us. You can lure away my drivers until there are only two of us. You can tear down all of the posters I put up. You can sit me at a table for two hours with an empty gift box watching the passers-by. You can spin us in circles with nowhere to distribute our gifts. You can bring on the rain while my arms are full of toys. You can even bring tears to my eyes.

But you you know what? You can not stop this and you will not break me. God put this idea in my head and He is guiding me the whole way to accomplishing it. He is making me steadfast and stubborn. For every single bump you build in the road, He shows me a detour. You really have no chance up against this team.

So if you insist, then bring it on! But you have been warned.

With all sincerity,
Laura B.

Why Blog?

2005-11-28T10:04:00.000-05:00

More specifically, why keep a Caravan4Christmas blog?

I wanted a way to chronicle the process. Partly, so others can follow this journey, but also so I have something to look back on. C4C has become a major part of my life for months and I want my own journal of this process. The website, letters, banner, etc. are for everyone. This blog, though, this is for me.

I wanted a quick way to put up pictures and info. Having a web designer that is doing it for free means I cannot snap my fingers at him and make him do what I want immediately. (right Steven?;-) Although I must admit, he is pretty darn quick.

The blog can go into more detail than the website. People check out websites to get quick information. People read blogs to get a deeper, more full understanding. I can describe, in my own words and emotions, each step we take.

Most importantly, though, blogs have become "where it's at"...especially in DC. I knew starting this blog would be a great way to spread the word. People read blogs...people respond to blogs...most importantly: when something is for a good cause, people get the blog word out. Bloggers have a loud voice. Huge thank you to AUA and all four lovely ladies hosting the DC Blogger Happy Hour on Wednesday night for supporting Caravan4Christmas!!!

The most giving

2005-11-22T09:58:00.000-05:00

I figured today that the most giving people around are the CHILDREN!

Emily is 10 years old. She is the daughter of a former co-worker who was told about C4C. Emily took it upon herself to take matters into her own hands. I had not heard a thing until former co-worker emailed to tell me she had a van full of toys. Apparently, Emily decided to head up a toy drive at her school. When I say head up, I mean the child really did take charge. She made her own signs, decorated her own boxes, stood up in front of the school to announce and explain, and got C4C a WHOLE LOT of toys. Co-worker dropped them off this morning and I stood in shock. The amount of toys was fabulous, but the signs Emily made were priceless!

(Imagine a Christmas without presents. Help the hurricane victims.)

LSS Turkey Day

2005-11-20T16:47:00.000-05:00

The Lousiana State Society (LSS) Thanksgiving Dinner (and toy drive) was a HUGE success! Everything from the menu (fried turkey, gravy, jambalaya, cornbread dressing, oyster stuffing, macaroni/cheese, bread pudding and more) to the Zydeco Music by Texas Fred was wonderful. The best part was the outpouring of support for the children.

LSS is a social group that is made up of Louisiana natives or wannabes living in the DC area. I would say almost everyone there was somehow directly affected by Katrina/Rita. Each person had a story. Many of them had lost childhood homes or their parents lost homes. Some whose homes remained standing still lost everything else they held dear. As much turmoil as most of these people have been through (and continue to go through), they still wanted to give to others. It was a pretty powerful sentiment to see so many people bringing toys by the bag-ful. Those Louisianians sure are good people:-)

Grand Beginnings

2005-11-16T20:01:00.000-05:00

I got the letter (and some photos) in today from Grand Beginnings. What beautiful people! At the bottom of the first page is a letter "from the heart of 9 year old Glenn"

As you know, our country has had a huge devastation that happened about a month or two ago and still has people homeless and some that have lost everything except the clothes on their backs. Most people in our area want to help but don't know how. Here is your chance. One wonderful lady has most of her family in Louisiana and has decided to send a caravan to Louisiana for Christmas. We ask you to bring in toys for Katrina victims. Bring only those things that are appropriate. We ask you to notify everybody you know to bring a toy.

Cher bebe! Really, that's all I can say.

Trucks and teddys

2005-11-15T17:54:00.000-05:00

Look what I got in the mail yesterday!!! NuggetMaven sent us a box of toys all the way from...well, far away. What a fabulous idea. I think bloggers everywhere should send a box to Caravan4Christmas:-) Email me if you want my address (and if you are not a stalker.)

Toy drive

2005-11-13T09:09:00.000-05:00

A box full of toys, a nice monetary donation, another driver, and a huge win for LSU. All in all, I would say it was a great day!

Grand Beginnings Children's Center

2005-11-11T17:36:00.000-05:00

A woman named Peg has apparently been trying to get in touch with me and has not had much luck. Her emails to Caravan4Christmas were not receiving responses (strange), so she finally got ahold of my phone number. Since my cell phone does not always work inside my apartment (annoying), she had to resort to leaving a message which I could not understand. When I finally had a spare moment and a cell phone signal, I found myself in my car in the parking lot of Sport's Authority with a pad of paper and pen ready to see what she needed. I first thanked her for her persistance and apologized for not being able to get back to her sooner. After over a week, I may have given up if I were in her shoes.

When she stared speaking, I grabbed the pen and strarted scribbling the high points. She let me know that she is the owner of two Christian daycare centers in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The children wanted to find a family that was displaced by Katrina and "adopt" them for Christmas this year. In asking around, she was guided to our endeavor (thanks Linz!) and she found it interesting. She brought the concept back to the children and they absolutely loved it. So much, in fact, that they were ready to get started immediately. They did not even wait to hear back from me before they had written their own C4C letter, stapled it to ours, and made 300 copies. The little ones are passing them out to their parents, dentists, grocery stores, and anyone else who will take a copy. Miss Peg told them if they got enough toys for the children down south, she would personally rent a truck to bring the toys to us in DC for our journey. "Laura" she says "they cannot stop talking about this."

At this point in our conversation, I realize that not only was I not writing anymore, but I dropped the pen and pad long ago. I was just sitting there, with goose bumps and watery eyes. I was absolutely speechless (and for those that know me...this is a rare occasion). This was one of the most amazing stories I had ever heard. I just kept thinking THIS is it! THIS is what it's all about. There are 42+ children in a small town in Pennsylvania right now who are getting a firsthand understanding of what it means to give to those less fortunate. It's not about giving a check, or some toiletries. These children want to spread the joy of Christmas to other children. They are truly feeling what it means to make a difference in someone's life. WOW. What a powerful tool for a child to have. I cannot tell you how fulfilling it is to know that Caravan4Christmas can help to provide it. This truly is what it is all about.

And now...for the fun stuff!

2005-11-07T17:26:00.000-05:00

For a while now, it was difficult for me to gague how this endeavor was going. Of course, everyone is quick to jump up and offer to help for a good cause, but it is often hard to know if those people will come through for you in the end. When I first started this, a lot of folks said "I absolutely want to do a toy drive" and then they disappeared. I did not want to come off too pushy, so I followed up via email and just sat and waited. I admit to being a little fearful lately. However, things seem to be picking up and we have some CONFIRMED Toy Drives. As in: time, date, place, etc. This makes me feel great.

TOY DRIVES:
Louisiana State Society
November 17, 2005
6:30pm-9:30pm
Thanksgiving Dinner at the Friendship House

GW Law School
November 28-December 1, 2005
(daily from 11am to 2pm)
2000 H St NW (Wash. DC)
First Floor (Kelly) Lounge

Thelen Reid and Priest, LLP
December 12, 2005
701 Eighth St. NW (Wash. DC)

University of Michigan DC Alumni Association
November 19, 2005
The Pour House (during the Ohio State game)
319 Pennsylvania Ave. SE

DC LSU Alumni
November 12, 2005 @ 3:30 (LSU vs. Alabama)
November 19, 2005 @ 7:45 (LSU vs. Ole Miss)
November 25, 2005 @ 1:30 (LSU vs. Arkansas)
Evening Star Cafe
2000 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria, Va

Operation Toy Drop
December 3 and 4, 2005
Location TBA
more info to follow

Are you on the list? Do you want to be? email me! Caravan4Christmas@gmail.com

Money!

2005-10-28T15:38:00.000-04:00

I really do love checking the mail these days. After the good news from the IRS, now I received our first monetary donation. Unlike our first toy donation, I cannot really post a photo of the check or anything. I can tell you that it was from a certain (and my personal favorite) partner at the law firm I worked this summer. He and his wife gave us a hefty amount to get started. It's not $0 and it's not $1,000. It's about halfway in between. That's a lot of money. I had to look twice thinking my eyes were deceiving me.

What a great way to start!

Set-backs...steps forward

2005-10-18T15:33:00.000-04:00

Two months from this past Sunday, I will be getting up at an EXTREMELY early hour of the morning, hopping into a large truck (hopefully with a few friends) filled with toys and driving them to my home state to deliver them to the families displaced by the hurricanes. That's pretty dang exciting. On the other hand, we sure do have a lot of work!

We had a meeting last night and I knew that I was going into this meeting with a heavy heart. Two of my four committee members recently took jobs away from DC and will be leaving town within a few weeks. Aside from the fact that these are two of my dearest friends, they are also two people I need by my side to make this work. I was getting a little down and beginning to wonder if this is going to work out. Then, I checked my messages. I got a phone call from an IRS agent saying she is recommending immediate approval of C4C and I should have a letter in my mailbox by the end of the week.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS MEANS??? This means by the end of the week, we are a legitimate tax exempt organization. This means we can tell everyone that their donations are tax deductible. Since I was not expecting this status until mid-November (at the earliest), this means we can get the ball rolling sooner. (On a side-note, this also means that I totally ROCK at doing tax paperwork on my own even though everyone around told me 'you need a lawyer, there is no way you can do this'. Lawyer-schmawyer. I'm paying $34k a year so someone can call me 'lawyer' in a few years...maybe I just wanted to start acting like one a little sooner;-)

Seriously, though, this is a huge leap forward and is really going to enable us to being to move on this. Look for more frequent updates!

Our first

2005-10-03T10:10:00.000-04:00

We got our first "in kind" donation this weekend!!! In addition to a large Elmo, we also got a large box filled with 100+ Beanie Babies. YAY!

Holly deserves the credit for this one:-)

Our first donation

Website Setback

2005-10-03T09:55:00.000-04:00

Nothing great ever comes easy. As I am sure some of you noticed, the website is stalling a bit. We are working to get things "complete", but Hurricane Rita put a kink in that plan. Our website designer, Steven, hails from Abbeville, Louisiana...one of the towns that Rita destroyed. Although he and his wife's families are okay, his friends have all gotten quite a bit of rain and mud dumped into what used to be their homes. That being said (and because I don't know the first thing about websites), bear with us while we get things up and running soon.

Website

2005-09-20T12:10:00.000-04:00

Steven has done a wonderful job on our website and I urge you to check it out!

www.Caravan4Christmas.com

Santa

2005-09-18T09:56:00.000-04:00

From Nola.com:

But Schaubhut said the children's resilience is being stretched thin as the days have turned into weeks. "Dylan just about broke my heart the other day when he asked me, 'Does Santa Claus come to hotels?'" she said.

Logistical Nightmare

2005-09-17T10:34:00.000-04:00

I never really knew what "logistical nightmare" meant until now. My gosh who would have ever thought this would be so difficult? What began with "I am willing to rent the largest truck I can find if you are willing to help me fill it" has turned into expedited 501(c)(3) status; Articles of Organization; tax forms; narrative descriptions; checking accounts; discrimination statements and anything else you can imagine taking the fun out of this! I realize that all of this work now is going to be instrumental in broadening our reach later, but part of me really wants to just load up my Explorer and go. Would that not be so much simpler?

I will admit that although I did not set out to, I am learning a lot about building an organization from the ground up. Becoming a 501(c)(3) Charitable organization is not as "simple" as filling out the twelve page tax form. Telling the IRS "I have a really big heart, very willing helpers and a great idea" does not legitimize this effort. Trust me, I tried it on the phone the other day. They want explanations of everything. They want dates, titles, signatures, organizing documents, narratives of fundraising activities, budgets and foreseeable expenses. Imagine that you decide to quit your job and pursue other work and you are asked to fill out your tax forms for NEXT year right now. Pretty hard to predict what you will be doing or how much you will make or spend when you do not yet know where life will take you. I'm just having to make all of this up and it is not a comfortable feeling to just make up numbers for a form going to the IRS.

Okay, enough about the weights bringing my mood down...let's talk about good things!

The Caravan Committee board members met last Sunday. I cannot tell you what an amazing group of women have come together to make this effort a reality. I knew I had great friends, but am honestly surprised at the commitment and enthusiasm in this group. We are going to make this amazing! I do want to note that there are a lot of amazing people working behind the scenes right now (who may or may not want to be mentioned on here.) We have people working on logos & other graphics, websites, events and more. I cannot wait to be able to "unveil" these things to you. You are going to be amazed at the talent of some of these volunteers.

We have also gotten verbal support and commitments from numerous other organizations who want to host toy drives or sponsor events. It's really amazing how many people are willing to step up and support you even before you have your tax ID number and your website. I guess when you have such an important cause, people are willing to help regardless. Not to mention, an alumni group watching an LSU football game is a great place to find support;-)

As expected, we have also met a few pockets of resistance here and there. We handled (and will continue to handle) these things with grace. This means, yelling and whining to my roommate, sending out an attitude-filled email to my board members, deciding to stand behind each other to support the mission, then putting on a happy face to respond in a tactful manner. We know what we are doing and why we are doing it. This will not change and we would much rather spend the next three months spreading joy then defending our position or fighting with those who don't agree with it. Done.

I feel the "business" side of this should be wrapped up pretty soon and my enthusiasm for the real cause behind all of this will return. I miss thinking about the children and how happy they will be and how many hugs we will get to give out. I miss thinking of how many mothers and fathers will feel a restored sense of faith in the American people when we help them bring Christmas to their children. I miss thinking of the hope and happiness this will bring to a saddened group of people. I hope to be able to focus on that again soon.

Thanks to all for your on-going support!

Thoughts on Our Special Project

2005-09-13T00:42:00.000-04:00

Laura and I first discussed the aftermath of Katrina in our law school class. It was over some delicious Cajun food served with true Southern hospitality at her home later that week that Laura shared the idea for C4C with me.

What struck me about C4C is the opportunity to bring hope to the youngest victims of the disaster. In my memory, nothing is more special as a child than the promise of Christmas and the coming New Year. God willing, we are bringing Christmas & hope.

This Sunday, we all met together in person for the first time. I wish I could convey to all of you the spirit of love, commitment & energy that was at that meeting. I am truly touched & blessed by the opportunity to work with these amazing people. I also look forward to meeting & working with all of you on our special project. We need your support going forward. Let me thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

Melissa Anagnosti

The beginning of something great...

2005-09-12T07:29:00.000-04:00

My first blog, so here goes...

The beginning of something great stands by itself. Officially, as of last night I have become a part of wonderful group of ladies who have decided to put their heart and soul, whichever way we have individually been affected, in too helping those most effected by one of the most devastating natural disasters our country has ever been through. Lord only knows, we seem to face a lot these days. Does that scare me? Yes. Does that worry me? Yes. Does that make me fear the future? Yes. However, despite all these fears I have, I love God and I believe in God and believe there is a purpose for everything, bad and good.

The outreach and outpouring of help in the aftermath of HK is what shows me and allows me to believe that there will come a day after every day, especially the hard ones, that will wipe away the tears and leave room for a smile, a reason to believe, and a feeling of never faltering love. It is times like these where I sit back and think outside the realms of my everyday life and realize how without love nothing, absolutely nothing, can flourish. Love is what makes us get up everyday, live through everyday, and hope for another day. Love is what drives the girls and I to move our tushes down to the coast and literally hand that unfaltering love back into a child's heart and mind. They may not realize it now, nor remember all that has happened or will happen as time goes by, but they will carry it with them inside along the way. There is no question about that. I hate to say it but it's true.

It is the Caravan 4 Christmas's wish to hand to back to them wonderful memories, hopeful memories, and loving memories that represent the time "after all the heartbreak and tears." It is our decided duty to show these children that innocence still exists and will always exist, whether its through a toy or a hand that gives that toy away.

Innocence can and will always exist when love is around you! They are the foundations of our future and our children's future. If you agree, help by loving your family, your friends, you companions, your children, your acquaintances, and even the people you pass along the way. Live everyday of your life by giving all you can give....till it almost breaks you, even @ times when you just don't feel you've got it in you. As it is always said, what does not kill us will only make us stronger...ALWAYS.

So join the girls and I and help in our endeavors if you can. This can be our gift to ourselves. :-)

Olivia Suzanne