NOLA people!

[leftofthedial]

If I were to do a fundraising benefit for the continuing aid of south Louisiana, is there a great group/foundation/fund to channel the money through? After Katrina, I did several music benefits and there was no end of groups raising funds.

Any suggestions now for how to get money to a place where it can really help? Especially anything music, food, art or child related . . .

??

[cbayer]

1. They need people to move there

They need more activists in the community. People who will raise their children there. People who will vote to overhaul the corrupt government and elect politicians that will make this a real issue in Washington. It is a forgotten place nationally, and I think the only hope is for good people to go and re-vitalize.
And this post is very hypocritical on my part. I left.

[cbayer]

2. guess no one has any ideas.

see, no one cares anymore.
brad pitt is doing some really interesting stuff with green housing in the lower ninth. might want to check into that.

[Rowdyboy]

3. I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions from the locals who can probably tell you....

which group would use the money most wisely. I was there two weekends ago and its coming back but there is a LONG way to go. Several people gave me the same message...."Everybody come see us.....and ya'll bring money".

The food is still the finest in the region, the people the most wonderful on earth and they could really use any help you can give.

Thanks for being part of the solution.

[leftofthedial]

5. I can't exactly do a show or series of shows and ask people to give me money

for a trip to New Orleans so I can eat and drink and tip big.

Although, hmmm . . . then again, maybe I could . . .

:-)

[azureblue]

4. Try these

try the Tipitina's foundation. http://www.tipitinasfoundation.org/
That is for musicians- my wife & I are expat New Orleans musicians of some repute, and we know musicians there who need help. And we could perform or help round up some NOLA musicians, if needed.
Go to www.nola.com and look around.
or call gambit weekly www.gambitweekly.com, for more direction.
Also http://offbeat.com/- it is a struggling music weekly. they can give you some referrals.

Harry Connick Jr. has the Musician's Village project, but the problem with that is some musicians who really need housing don't have enough money to move in.
Go to yatpundit.com & ask him.
Go to Daily Kos & find nolalily. She is a therapist who knows a lot of people who badly need psychological help.

if you have money, best thing to do is to find the people who need help rebuilding, and actually hire & pay people to help them. And don't pay them until the work is done & done right. There are so many people there who need workers who are getting ripped off by carpetbaggers.

there are some free clinics, but i don't recall at the moment how to contact them.

I can connect you directly with a few people if you email me.

[leftofthedial]

6. thank you thank you thank you

:thumbsup: