Dear Drummond and Idelisse, http://www.tidesfoundation.org/key_staff.cfm

I left voice mail for each of you this afternoon. The letter below is one I sent to the head of the Bay Area Red Cross. I think it is appropriate for both of you as well.

Two days ago I contacted Jason Sanders with the Katrina Villages idea. His response is attached as is my subsequent reply. Although he is somewhat encouraging, I feel that waiting for a grant committee deliberation will take too much time == especially since I am not asking for a grant!

For the next few days this is a networking exercise. I am hesitant to try to manage this project alone. I need some key collaborators. Can either of you personally put me in touch with a few others who might form a core group? I'd like to contact everyone who attended the Momentum Conference in February but I don't recall receiving an email list.

Whatever you decide to do, I'd appreciate your feedback == both on the Katrina Village idea and, if you think it is viable, on strategies for implementation.

With much appreciation for the work you both do,

Liza Loop

.......

Dear Jason (at Tides Foundation)and others on the cc list,

Thanks for the positive response, Jason. I’d really like to use Tides as one of the lead organizations in this effort. That will require someone getting on this bandwagon today not after a committee meets. I’m not looking for a grant. I’m looking for workers == thinkers and doers. This project is going to be led by people who already have the resources to contribute without waiting for someone else to come up with the money.

More comments between your lines…

From: Jason Sanders mailto:jsanders@tides.org Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 10:05 AM To: Liza Loop Subject: RE: Idea to help Hurricane Katrina refugees

JS 10-01-05: Hello Liza.

JS: Thanks for the email. At this point, Tides is conducting research on organizations that are providing support in various ways.

LL 10-01-05: Most of the organizations are already on the web. The rest have telephones. MoveOn has shown us what a powerful channel this is. I urge whoever is doing your research to put the information on an interactive website immediately – don’t wait until the research is “finished”. The site needs to have the ability, as Amazon and EBay do, for the public to provide feedback on incidents of fraud, scam, etc. and for testimonials documenting positive results from contributions. The first source I accessed last night, Wikipedia, had a wealth of information. KQED this morning is suggesting we use the FEMA web site and the Red Cross to coordinate donations. I’m agreeing that we do that and more. Katrina Villages are a second response with a longer horizon that the Red Cross.

It went up at 11 pm last night and it’s beginning to grow.

JS 10-01-05: Your idea is a good one and I would like to know about the feedback on how to make it happen and possible partners.

Please look at the Katrina Villages site http://loopcntr.xwiki.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/EMERGENCY+KATRINA+VILLAGES

I would want to bring this to our grants committee for possible support and/or figure a way to publicize it.

LL 10-01-05: We need to have an “IT” before we worry about publicity. A strong Katrina Villages model and how-to-hand book will travel by voluntary word-of-mouth and internet faster than any conscious publicity medium. Again, I don’t need a financial grant. I need people willing to donate their time and to buy their own plane tickets if necessary. They must have experience in at least one of the following: group collaboration, community organizing, information management, local networking, teaching, counseling, setting up temporary buildings or hooking up trailers.

If you look at the contributions comments on the Katrina Villages site you’ll see that the first offer is for RV Spots Available in Texas http://loopcntr.xwiki.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/Contributor+Page comment 2.

But some government will be needed immediately by group we send there. And the liability will be unbearable for individual donors unless we precede relocation with a legal structure that protects them. Think about New Orleans as a sinking ship and we are passersby picking up half drowned survivors. They will be desparate. We cannot rescue in the long term unless we are smart about it. Let’s see how much good we can do by pooling our smarts and our wealth. I have no doubt it will pay back in the end without exploiting anyone.

Liza