Public Employee Press

How YOU can help victims of Katrina

Union members are deeply moved by the plight of the victims of Hurricane Katrina and want to take action to help. DC 37’s national union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, moved quickly to provide a way for members to help the victims, especially the thousands of public employees and union members in the stricken area.

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts is urging members and locals to contribute through DC 37 so their contributions can be pooled and used most effectively. In response to her request, the DC 37 Executive Board voted to donate $10,000 to start the effort.

As a member, here’s how you can help:

• Contribute: Write a check to the “AFSCME Fallen Heroes Fund” and send it to Room 525, DC 37, 125 Barclay St, New York, NY 10007. On the memo line of the check, or in a separate cover letter, please specify that you want your contribution to be used for Katrina relief.
  
• Adopt a family: If you have space in your home, you can offer temporary housing to AFSCME evacuees. Go to www.afscme.org/katrina for more information.
  
• Send clothes and shoes: AFSCME Council 17 in Louisiana is in need of clothes and shoes to provide to members. They respectfully request that only new or nearly new clothes and new shoes be sent. Send to: Louisiana Public Employees Council, AFSCME, 429 Government St., Baton Rouge, LA 70812-6114.
  
• Help college students: The hurricane has closed three historically black colleges in the disaster area — Xavier and Dillard Universities in New Orleans and Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Miss. You can help the displaced students through the United Negro College Fund, which has named DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts labor chair of this year’s fundraising effort. Write your check to UNCF and send it to DC 37, 125 Barclay St, New York, NY 10007, Attention: Lillian Roberts.