Public Employee Press

How YOU can help hurricane victims, earthquake survivors

Union members are deeply moved by the plight of the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the devastating earthquake that shook Pakistan, India and Afghanistan in October.

DC 37 and AFSCME, its national union, are taking action to help the victims, especially the thousands of public employees and union members in the stricken area of the Gulf Coast. The DC 37 Asian Heritage Committee is leading the way in aiding earthquake survivors.

District Council 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts has urged members and locals to contribute through DC 37 so their contributions can be pooled and used most effectively.

As a concerned union member, here are some of the ways that YOU can help:

Hurricane Katrina

• 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. More information is at www.afscme.org/katrina.
• Send clothes and shoes: AFSCME Council 17 in Louisiana needs 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 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.

Asian earthquake
Your checks should be made payable to the DC 37 Asian Heritage Committee and should note Earthquake Relief on the memo line at the bottom.

Mail your contributions to District Council 37, 125 Barclay St., Room 525, New York, NY 10007.