Hand In Hand

The fury of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma has devastated much of our country, and watching the images on television and on social media is heartbreaking.  People have lost their lives, and so many who survived have lost loved ones and have lost their homes and their possessions.  The good news is that so many are willing to help.  Neighbor helping neighbor is such a wonderful image to see, especially when each is without property.  Seeing other join together is pretty wonderful too.  I'm seeing folks all over the country get involved.  How wonderful!

As I wrote here after Harvey, there are numerous organizations where you can donate money.  Some of my favorites are The Humane Society of the United States, American Red Cross, Episcopal Relief & Development, Lutheran Disaster Response, and AmeriCares.  Of course giving directly to local organizations in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and other effected areas works too.  Be sure you are giving to legitimate agencies though - ones that are actually getting the funds to where they are needed.

Tonight there will be a huge fundraising effort on television.  Remember those tv telethons from years back?  Well this is going to be a good old fashioned telethon with celebrities and folks taking your contributions via telephone.  It begins at 8pm EDT and will be seen on numerous networks and on the internet.  With live performances from New York, Nashville, and Los Angeles, this is going to be a powerful program.  Called Hand in Hand, the telethon will be broadcast and then played again at 8pm for the west coast.  Telephone lines will be open all night.  I urge you to tune in and if able, to donate.

Hand in hand we can get through this.  Hand in hand we can make a difference and bring a brighter day for those who have lost so much.