Currently, there is no other service like this available to New Orleans volunteers.
Awareness about the city’s ongoing need for volunteers is being created through screenings and videocasts of the New Orleans: A Labor of Love documentary, which follows 18 Los Angeles Valley College students and their professor during their recent volunteering experience.
Beginning on August 28, 2007 (the 2-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina) excerpts from the documentary will begin videocasting here at www.nolaboroflove.com. Fall 2007 screenings of the documentary are being scheduled for universities, colleges, churches, and community centers.
Interested volunteers will be able to register at the site beginning August 28, 2007. They will then be connected to the most up-to-date information about volunteering opportunities, lodging, transportation, etc.
Our ability to launch the campaign on August 28, 2007 is dependent on your generous tax-deductible donation.
How does the www.nolaboroflove site benefit people? The www.nolaboroflove site contributes to the rebuilding of homes and lives of New Orleanians by:
- Educating high school and college students about disaster relief and gentrification.
- Assisting professors/community leaders with organizing student groups to volunteer
- Keeping the general public informed about the true state of reconstruction work through updated blogs and videocasts.
- Monthly credit/debit card donations via Paypal
- One-time donations via Paypal
- Check or money order made payable to our fiscal sponsor the IHCenter:
IHC/NEW ORLEANS: A LABOR OF LOVE
PO Box 923
Malibu, CA 90265
- Completion of the New Orleans: A Labor of Love documentary to be screened at colleges, universities, churches, etc. during Fall 2007 in order to recruit volunteers
- One web moderator and 4 student interns to coordinate resources for interested volunteers
- E-mail campaigns and web ads to recruit volunteers
- Targeted recruiting through Myspace, Facebook and BlackPlanet.
- Hope for the city of New Orleans and other cities that need significant volunteer assistance to recover from natural disasters and general neglect.
Screening the documentary New Orleans: A Labor of Love is an essential component of spreading this message because it follows a group of student volunteers in New Orleans who enjoyed their volunteering experience so much that they adopted the families whose homes they rebuilt and continue to seek services for them, like furniture donations for their newly built homes. When and where will the film screen? Screenings are currently being booked for Fall 2007 at colleges/universities and with community groups. The film will be available as a DVD. Limited BETA SP copies will be available.
If you are interested in hosting a screening, please e-mail screenings@nolaboroflove.com.
Also, excerpts of the film will be videocast here at www.nolaboroflove.com beginning August 28, 2007. How can I volunteer? Our registration system is currently being set up and will be available on August 28, 2007. To be notified, subscribe to our e-newsletter: news@nolaboroflove.com. Who can volunteer? We are focused on recruiting students, however, anyone with a good attitude can register as a volunteer through www.nolaboroflove.com.
There are many ways to contribute: people are needed to gut and build homes and help fill out paperwork for elderly/disabled people; lawyers are needed to assist the many people who have been defrauded by shady contractors; engineers are needed to advise on rebuilding; medical professionals are needed to assist with general and emergency care; educators are needed to re-staff the schools. Whatever skill set you have, you can bet that it is needed in New Orleans.
To find out more about volunteer opportunities, visit: www.nolaboroflove.com/vol_opps How will you help volunteers?To volunteer successfully in disaster relief areas like New Orleans it’s important that the most up-to-date information about volunteer opportunities, lodging, food, transportation, and tips are made available regularly.
Situations in disaster relief areas are sometimes unpredictable and can be rather frustrating. For instance, it is difficult for volunteers to get out-of-state checks cashed in New Orleans, due to precautions that local banks and check cashing places are taking to avoid fraud. If you’ve raised funds to volunteer through your school or church and funds are being made available via check, you need to deposit/cash your checks before you arrive in New Orleans. Otherwise, you may lose days of your volunteer experience searching for banks and verifying funds.
We offer these and other helpful tips to volunteers. Are you paying for volunteers to travel to New Orleans?Whlie we'd love to do so, unfortunately, we are unable to pay for volunteers to travel to New Orleans. Our budget is limited to developing compelling materials to let people know that volunteers are still needed in New Orleans and connecting interested volunteers with the resources to help them have a successful volunteer experience.
Through our user-supported resources, interested volunteers may find out how other groups have raised funds to cover the cost of travel. Generally, fundraising for a group of 20 takes 3 to 6 months.
As an FYI, a week-long trip, including airfare with 21-day advanced purchase, lodging at a hostel and food will run you under $1,000 per person. How else can I support the cause?You can support our work by spreading the word about New Orleans: A Labor of Love:
•Encourage people to donate by sending them to the www.nolaboroflove.com site or forwarding our e-mail fundraising appeal to your friends and family.
•Friend us on Myspace, Facebook, and BlackPlanet.
•Host the New Orleans: A Labor of Love trailer on your website, blog, Myspace, Facebook or BlackPlanet page (for instructions, see below). How do I host the New Orleans: A Labor of Love trailer on your website, blog, Myspace, Facebook or BlackPlanet page? You can help share the New Orleans: A Labor of Love trailer by hosting it on your website, blog, Myspace, Facebook or BlackPlanet page. For instructions, please click here. Is my donation tax-deductible?All donations, no matter the dollar amount, are tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor International Humanities Center, a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)3 of the IRS Code. What is IHCenter and how are they involved with New Orleans: A Labor of Love?International Humanities Center (IHCenter) is the fiscal sponsor for New Orleans: A Labor of Love. IHCenter’s mission is to work with other independent nonprofit organizations and sponsored projects that are devoted to a vision of ecological and humanitarian stewardship that benefits all creation. They seek to reverse the current situation of pollution, disease, and disconnection by focusing efforts on creating a civilization that is centered upon love, peace and natural harmony.
To address the multiple challenges requiring immediate attention in our global community, IHCenter is proactively collaborating with New Orleans: A Labor of Love and other qualified projects through their 501(c)3 fiscal sponsorship program.
If you are interested
in helping us out, but are unable to do so at this time, we
are happy to remind you in the future about our cause. Just
send a reminder request to reminder@nolaboroflove.com
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a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)3 of the IRS Code.
Subscribe to the NEW ORLEANS: A LABOR OF LOVE e-newsletter at news@nolaboroflove.com
Learn more about IHCenter