I continue to blog about the aftermath of Hurricane Irene because it is still very much a situation I deal with daily. It has highlighted for me many of the issues that people with chronic conditions deal with but in spades. Regardless of what may be happening to you, life continues.
As if to prove this point, on Wednesday, one of the Air Guard, working on recovery efforts in my town, died suddenly from a heart attack. I knew Master Sgt. Stocker as a very fit and able man, who was very dedicated to the purpose of helping others, whether it was through his relief efforts in many parts of the world or in his job in corrections. Many of us who knew Stocker, as he has been with us since the beginning of September, were stunned and shocked. “How could this be?” was the initial response from just about everyone. This was followed closely by “what should we do?”
The “what can I (we) do” question is one I here all the time and in many situations. In the initial phase of the disaster, few people asked that question because it was very clear what was needed. However, as time went on, and routines were established to deal with daily issues, not only did I hear this question repeated frequently, but it was added with “let’s do a fundraiser.”
My response of “who is the beneficiary” was not appreciated.
Crisis brings out the best and the worst in people. Many want to give. While many are in need, they are not comfortable receiving and unfortunately, there are those who want to take advantage of the situation for their own gains.
In July I wrote two posts related to giving to those in need:
• How to Respond When Someone is Ill or Injured
• Unique Gifts for Hospital Patients
While both posts provide very practical answers to “what can I do,” they do not address the issue of fundraising in response to crisis. So here are some basics to consider before launching into this arena:
• Is the money raised for an individual-such as a person who needs a bone marrow transplant? Hospitals that provide complex procedures, where individual fundraising often occurs, can provide some guidelines. Since this is a very complex topic, I will blog about it specifically next week.
• Are there existing organizations in your community that could benefit from a fundraiser? If your community has a food shelf and/or social services agency, this may be a good choice for your donations.
• The Red Cross does an incredible job in disasters and can definitely benefit from donations. The sound of their helicopters circling over our shelter was music to my ears. They not only worked with us to identify needs and how to fill them, but they provided much needed information such as how to work with FEMA, getting people to accept help and providing us hugs when we needed them.
• Local churches and civic organizations (such as Rotary, Lions Club) will often have small funds that they distribute. Many will give to anyone in the community and have less stringent guidelines then social service organizations. These groups will have the appropriate certification to make donations tax deductible.
• Be very wary of newly formed groups. While some may be legitimate, others can be scams. Learn who is behind the organization (who are the board members) and what are the guidelines and timeframe for distribution of money raised.
• Condition specific organizations, such as the local chapter of your Parkinson’s Disease Association, may appear to have nothing to do with the disaster. However, their constituency has been impacted just like everyone else, and because they are already dealing with difficult situations, the crisis significantly multiplies issues.
FEMA has a good handout on donating during disasters. The one thing I would add to that is start with your neighbor. Can you help them? Keep in mind that gifts cards, be it for gas, the metro, to the local department store so they can purchase their own underwear, or to a restaurant they like are very helpful.
Remember to take care of those who are the caregivers. One of the things I will always remember was a woman, who I did not know, bringing me a lemon meringue pie. I was blogging daily from the shelter to keep our community informed, (these can be read at www.cavendishvt.blogspot.com) and made a comment about how I was so tired of brownies and would really appreciate a lemon meringue pie. Once the work of the day began, I didn’t think twice about what I had written. When she arrived with the pie, I was finishing up a meeting with one of the work crews. It was a wonderful boast for all of us who had been working many hours at that point.
I’d like to end this post with a special note of thanks to Sgt. Stocker who gave so willingly to our town. I will never forget our chats in the chaos of the shelter and your beliefs about giving. Peace.
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