My new avatar...and a challenge

As many of you will recall, back during the Presidential election, the Admin's offered an "I voted" avatar (for newbies, its that small icon that appears to the left of people's messages; you can load one from the "Edit Your Profile" tab under "Options") for users to select once their vote was in the ballot box. The goal was partly to foster self-pride for fulfilling one's civic duty, and partly to nudge procrastinators along.

Earlier this week, my wife and I donated $1,000 to the Red Cross to help their Hurricane relief efforts. Many others here have as well. Others may well have good intentions to contribute what they can, but perhaps haven't gotten around to it. To nudge them along, and to show the DU community's support for the relief effort, I suggested to the Admins that they offer an "I donated" avatar for registered users of the Board. Recognizing that they're handling an extra-heavy workload these days, I've assembled one of my own. I'll be happy to send a copy along to anyone who sends me a private message, or to make it available for download from here.

The challenge, I'd like to extend, is to make your contribution to the relief effort NOW - not tomorrow morning, not next week. Get it over with this minute (online donation forms make it easy). Even if you only throw $10 into the pot, multiply that by everyone here and you have a sizeable amount. I don't particularly care WHICH relief agency to support, but do your part today. We've all seen what happens when people delay things...

Their services are limited to aiding those who got out. They could not aid those who needed to get out in a timely fashion. We need good government that works in this situation. The Red Cross can help in some situations, but what the refugees need now is secure lodgings for a longer term, for let's say up to a year, jobs, monthly checks. The Red Cross can provide a little food maybe and a place to sleep in conditions that are extremely temporary like in the Astrodome. The limited services the Red Cross can provide will help for maybe a few weeks or months, but what is needed is a broad government program that helps people start all over. The Red Cross is a wealthy charity that pays its CEO some humongous salary. It's big business in its own way. Who in the Red Cross decides who gets what? How can the hand-out if you happen to be in the right time and the right place system help in this major catastrophe? I don't think it will do much at all. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Red Cross is not the answer here in my book. These people need cash, not blood plasma. They need to be able to pay rent or a hotel bill, not sleep in an Astrodome for months on end.

to an extended family of 25.

I have my feel good factor in my heart. They'd need an avatar the size of a suv to relate.