[24584] in APO-L
[APO-L] Tsunami Relief Service Opportunity - Shelter Box
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Kenneth Hunter)
Tue Jan 11 17:41:39 2005
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 17:41:29 -0500
Reply-To: Kenneth Hunter <kwhunter@gmail.com>
From: Kenneth Hunter <kwhunter@gmail.com>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
Brothers:
This is only intended as a suggestion; an FYI. I hope it is of use to
some of you in your plans for service in response to the Tsunami:
I imagine that there are several Chapters that have already initiated
some sort of campaign to support those affected by the South Asia
Tsunami of December 26th. There are also those Chapters that will be
resuming activities in the next week or so as they return to school.=20
In all cases, I wanted to mention the following service avenue as a
means of providing needed resources to the affected area while
providing the Chapter with an attainable, goal-specific service
project.
Shelter Box is an organization based both in England the United States
that provides large-scale relief kits to areas around the world
impacted by natural disasters, conflict, and other catastrophes.=20
Through its England distribution center, it sends large relief kits
designed for use each by small groups of people. These kits provide
essential supplies that enable self-sufficiency, restoring some
semblance of normalcy to the lives of recipients and reducing the
burden placed on other relief agencies.
Each "Shelter Box" serves as a restoration package for potentially 10
individuals who lost everything as a result of disaster. The box,
which is designed for use itself in several capacities, contains a
specially-designed, 10-person tent, sleeping bags, water purification
equipment, cooking equipment, and various tools. Overall, the box is
designed to support its users for up to 6 months, providing them the
time they need to rebuild homes and restore their lives prior to the
disaster. A full description of each Shelter Box is available online
at the following address:
http://www.shelterboxusa.org/shelterbox.html
The cost for each Shelter Box, including transportation to its
requested location, is $900. I would imagine that any Chapter on any
college campus could easily assemble a fundraising drive (either
through an event or simple requests for money) to collect the amount
required to pay for at least one kit. After reviewing the contents of
the kit, you can tell that the supplies it provides are well worth the
investment, if not an excellent return upon it.
Through this charity, a Chapter can set a specific goal with regards
to the level of support they want to provide (in this case, each
shelter box represents self-sufficiency and restoration to the lives
of 10 victims). Regardless of the number chosen as a goal, it can be
easily broken-down into more human-centered tones that appeal to
potential contributors. It also provides a way to bring your campus
together. After all, if students, faculty, staff, and organizations
contributed $9,000, they would directly help the lives of 100
individuals in a permanent, meaningful way.
Shelter Box also has a strong relationship with Rotary International,
which would give a Chapter the opportunity to partner with local
Rotary Clubs to help raise funds. Several Rotary Clubs are already
contributing and funding the delivery of kits. A Chapter's
partnership with Rotary on a project such as this would help
strengthen ties between Brothers and the local community, especially
with an organization known to be comprised of successful individuals
and respected leaders.
Naturally, whatever you do to help Tsunami victims, as with any
disaster, is perfectly fine and commendable. At the very least, you
should examine the organization through an independent service to make
sure that they are reputable. These online resources provide means to
investigate potential charitable recipients, ensuring that your
Chapter's reputation is protected from the potential fallout that a
relationship with an unscrupulous organization could lead do.
Charity Navigator =E2=80=93 www.charitynavigator.org
Wise Giving Alliance =E2=80=93 www.give.org
Several respectable groups, including Service Box, are not included,
which likely means that they have not received any complaints from
donors regarding their conduct. Approximately 88% of its
contributions go to their intended program purpose, the remainder
covering internal administrative expenses. This is in a range equal
to most other relief organizations with strong credibility, such as
the American Red Cross, Oxfam, or Americares (the general rule of
thumb for credibility is that the programs should receive at least
80%, preferably 85-90%, or all donated funds). Regardless of who you
contribute to, you can always make sure whether or not the
contributions can be directly earmarked to a given effort (i.e., when
sending a check, put on it that the funds must be used, if you want,
for tsunami relief and recovery).
The preceding content is only a suggestion. Again, thanks to all
Chapter who have or who are going to raise funds for or provide other
service to the Tsunami victims. As a Brother, it is always great to
see our effectiveness in responding to the needs of our country and
the world.
In L, F, and S,
Kenneth Hunter
Alum, Tau Epsilon Chapter, Tennessee Technological University
kwhunter@gmail.com
--=20
Kenneth Hunter, Jr.
Manassas, Virginia, USA
kwhunter@gmail.com
"When right, I shall often be thought wrong by those whose positions
will not command a view of the whole ground."
--Thomas Jefferson
