Pearlington MS Update

Below is a letter from Angela seeking donations towards the rebuilding efforts in Pearlington. One always hesitates when sending money, not sure whether or not it will be put to good use. Will it be instead used to buy an extra plate of appetizers for the Xmas party, or diverted to some useless cause like sending supplies that are no longer needed? I have full confidence that money sent to the Pearlington Project will be put to good use. So if you are looking for a good grass roots charitable organization as the '06 tax year draws to a close, look no further than the Pearlington Project.

The Pearlington Project Katrina Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation
PO Box 127
Rhinebeck, NY 12572
www.pearlingtonproject.org

Dear All,

If you're reading this email, then at some point over the past year, you have shown an interest in helping the people of Pearlington, Mississippi. (If you would like to be removed from this mailing list, please respond to this email with "Remove" in the subject line and your name will be deleted immediately.) Perhaps, you're one of the original supporters from Newnan, GA who helped load food, water, and blankets onto the many 50' tractor trailers you sent to my attention in Pearlington during those early, grim days immediately following Hurricane Katrina. Maybe, you're one of many family members from California, Illinois, New York and points in between who have directly supported Pearlington families with your donations of food and clothing throughout the past year. Or, perhaps, you have received this email because someone who cares about the forgotten people of Pearlington wants you to meet them as well and become part of something very special. Whatever the reason, thank you for your support and your continued caring. We've got one last, critical job to do in Pearlington; and, one last time, I need your help.

One year after Hurricane Katrina literally washed the rural, unincorporated community of Pearlington, Mississippi off the map, roughly 800 citizens are trying to recover their homes and lives. Ineligible for most federal and state aide (since Pearlington is not an official city or town), its people remain in many ways as forgotten today as they were 1 year ago. The survival issues are different to be sure. Today, the lights once again burn and phone lines carry calls of support from those of us out "in the world," a world that has largely moved-on and forgotten that the worst disaster in US history devastated not simply a few structures but every school, church, store, and home in Pearlington. After living most of the past year shoulder-to-shoulder with massive piles of debris, homeowners now let their gazes wander over empty lots. Having lost literally everything and with no insurers covering those losses, mothers such as Denise wonder where her 4 children will sleep when FEMA comes to reclaim their emergency housing campers at the end of February 2007 - only 3 months from now (and they are coming according to FEMA officials.) Mr. Ike, the 78 year-old veteran of two wars, tries to ready his little storage shed (built by volunteers) in case he has to live there in the dead of winter. Mr. Cook, elderly and sick with emphysema and heart disease, spends his days sitting in the shell of his house that random church groups have gutted and rehabbed, but have never returned to finish. He waits silently and recalls the years he spent in that house with his wife, who never recovered from the shock of Katrina and died earlier this year.

Some of you may feel these stories are too "dramatic" or overstated; yet, they are not. There is no need to embellish when describing the people of Pearlington one year later. I would invite you, though, not to take my word for it, but see for yourself. CNN has now covered the situation in Pearlington with me in 4 segments, including the latest update at the 1-year anniversary. You may view all 4 CNN segments as well as read a CNN.COM anniversary article in the Media Section of the Foundation website, www.pearlingtonproject.org. Additionally, you may click-on the link below and you will be taken directly to my latest online photo album. You do not need to sign-in. Simply click-on "Play" and the slideshow will begin. You will see photos of Pearlington and its people taken at the 1-year post-Katrina mark.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=bquxt22h.6bru63tx&Uy=-9en88q&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

The critical need now is for permanent housing. As many of you know, I have taken my work in Pearlington to a new level in order to finish the job there. This summer, when I realized major relief organizations were gone, including those that would normally rebuild houses after a disaster, I formed The Pearlington Project Katrina Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The mission is simple: to rebuild homes in Pearlington, MS for those families with children and the elderly who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina. While random church groups have started houses in the area, very few have actually been completed. Some have been sitting on foundations and frames, exposed to the elements, for 8 months or more. And, for the families you have come to know over the past year from my work in Pearlington - Yvette, Toby, Brittany, and Michael Earl; Denise and her children, Destin, Lisa, Darrian, and Carrie; frail elderly Mr. Ike, to name a few - no group has come to help them. They remain the forgotten of the forgotten.

As a fellow human being and a fellow American citizen, I can not simply accept that these families will remain forgotten - and, ultimately, homeless. They are our brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers; and, they deserve better. So, I have a plan, a plan that will only succeed with your help. That plan is to stage a "blitz build" of 4 homes in Pearlington the week of February 4-11, 2007. "Blitz building" is a proven technique in which skilled volunteers construct homes in a short period of time. My team leader for this project, Rich Taylor, is an experienced volunteer house builder, having held leadership positions in many "blitz builds" around the country. With the help of skilled construction volunteers, we will frame the walls and roofs in Dutchess County, New York in late January. Simultaneous to that process, skilled volunteers will be in Pearlington pouring the foundations. Then, the first week in February, we will start, finish, and furnish 4 homes for the following families:

- Denise and her children, Destin, Lisa, Darrian, and Carrie
- Yvette and Toby Earl and their children, Brittany and Michael
- Elderly Mr. Ike
- Linda, a disabled grandmother

We have the leadership; the plan; and the volunteers. All we need is the funding - only $150,000 to cover the cost of materials with all volunteer labor to house 7 children and 5 adults. You and I can prevent homelessness for 7 children and 5 adults for less than $200,000. And, we can send a message to other groups who start, but never complete, houses that the job can be finished. To raise these funds, I have appealed to foundations large and small and have received the same answer time and time again - Pearlington is too small and too narrow a focus for them. Yet, it is not too small for The Pearlington Project Katrina Foundation. We completed our first project last month. We finished the home of Sandy and Michael Shaw. Five generations of Sandy's family have lived in that home. During Hurricane Katrina, the water rose to the attic and destroyed everything. So, for the past year, Sandy and Michael - on their own - quietly and methodically - did what they could. Their strategy was simple: pay a bill one week; buy a board the next. Late this summer and heartbreakingly close to finishing, they ran-out of funds. I and skilled construction volunteers went to Pearlington last month and finished and furnished the Shaw home. Sandy and I were standing in the living room as her new furniture was delivered. Normally stoic and reserved, she suddenly burst into tears. I put my arm around her, squeezed her shoulder; and, she said, "Angela, I just never believed we'd get home again." I talked with Sandy just last week. She has yet to sleep through the night because she still can't believe she's really home. In a little over a week from now, Sandy will cook Thanksgiving dinner for her immediate and extended family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, and her own children will be one of the few families in Pearlington with a real house in which to celebrate Thanksgiving.

The Pearlington Project Katrina Foundation can bring more families home but only with your help. There are roughly 200 of you who received this email. If each one of you make a tax-deductible donation of only $100 to the Foundation and then send this email to at least 5 of your friends and colleagues and ask them to do the same, we will have $100,000 of the $150,000 needed. It is that simple and that doable. If you can donate more, I respectfully ask that you consider doing so. If you alone can not donate $100, I would ask that you please do what you can. Perhaps, your employer, school, church, or gym will help. Donate online at www.pearlingtonproject.org or via regular mail at the address given at the top of this email.

A good bit of media attention has been given to the man from Canada who ultimately traded-up a red paperclip for a house. He achieved that goal through constant networking via the power of the internet and sheer tenacity. If one guy without an existing email network could do all that and get one house, imagine what we can do starting with a network of 200. Time is short; we've got to place a deposit for building materials by the end of December in order to house families by the end of February when FEMA comes to reclaim their emergency housing campers. I and the people of Pearlington are counting on you for one last push. Together, we can bring the people of Pearlington the rest of the way home.

In Peace and Justice,

Angela J. Cole, MPH, RN
President

The Pearlington Project Katrina Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 127
Rhinebeck, NY 12572

Email: angela@pearlingtonproject.org
Web: www.pearlingtonproject.org