Here is a great opportunity for every Red Nose Responder to assist in the disaster relief of many areas hit hard by the recent hurricanes and summer floods. RNR is coordinating the first national fundraiser.

Many people in the recent disaster response areas (Texas, Louisiana, Illinois, Missouri, and all the Midwest States from the early summer flooding) have suffered immeasurable losses. It may be hard to believe, but The American Red Cross has spent so much on disaster assistance this year that its Disaster Relief Fund has become badly depleted. As a result, it has had to borrow money to pay for shelters, food and other relief services. Due to the current economic situation in the U.S., it is difficult for them to expect the types of large donations that have been been received in the past. Your contributions could help tremendously.

Responders have been asking what they can do to assist RNR. This is a fantastic way for each of you to do so. If every responder helped raise $100, imagine the check RNR could donate to Red Cross. (Did you know that a $25.00 donation buys five blankets for an emergency shelter? Did you know that a $75.00 donation pays for a doctor's visit for an injured victim?) Our contribution on behalf of all of you will help enable the Red Cross to continue to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disasters.

Your financial gift will show the world the generosity of the clown community plus help so many people along the way.

The Red Cross has asked for us to provide donations by December 31. Since the Season for Giving is upon us, responders might find the project much easier to plan and implement at this time. Let's put RNR and clowns on the map. Host a Face Painting, Balloon-making, stage or magic show event. Also, consider bake sales, raffles, etc. When done, send a check made out to RNR. Each responder will receive a letter of thanks from the RNR Treasurer indicating the amount received and a notation that your donation is tax-deductible!

Members of the Board of RNR are planning to present a check on your behalf in person to the Chairman of the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. Please jump on the bandwagon and help. If you have any questions about this project, please email us at info@rednoseresponse.org.

If you wish to make a contribution now, please forward it to the following address:

Red Nose Response

c/o ARC Fundraiser

2660 Peachtree Road, NW - Suite #19A

Atlanta, Georgia 30305

As the hurricane season progressed through September causing millions of dollars of damage and displacing many people who still have not been able to resume a normal life, this one clown told us his story.

"I was in the mall this afternoon doing a little clowning around, wearing one on my Red Nose Response shirts. I am twisting a balloon for this cute young lady and Dad is talking away on his cell. I presented the balloon and they moved on.

A few moments later, they are back. I am thinking 'broken balloon'. Dad says to me....What's Red Nose Response? I explain. He hands me a bill and said "I just finished talking to my sister. They are evacuating from New Orleans this afternoon." We chatted a little bit more. I said thank you and now have $20.00 to send down to Red Nose Response." All in a day's work for FuddiDuddy.

Have you told someone what Red Nose Response is about? Wear your shirts, hats, and RNR patches. You can get the shirts at our store. Click on the link below.

Contact your local relief organizations to find out if they are making collections for the holiday season. Let your fellow clowns and responders know what kind of donations they are looking for. See if you can coordinate an effort to help with the collections.

What better way for RNR responders to give with all their heart? It also helps the local community learn more about Red Nose Response.

If you are able to do this, please let us know what you have organized. Send information and photos to info@rednoseresponse.org.

If you have seen these pins and patches and would like to have your own, just send a request to Teresa Gretton at bunkyandblinky@comcast.net or mail her a message by snail mail to P.O. Box 787, Waldorf, MD 20604- 0787. All orders must be prepaid so don't lose this address.

The pins and patches are $5.00 each with a small shipping and handling charge. The shipping for a patch is $1.00, because it can go in a paper envelope. The shipping for a pin or a combined order that includes a pin is $2.00. The Postal Service has changed how they rate these as packages.

We are also offering a 10% discount on the pins and patches (not the shipping costs however) for an order of three (3) or more. If you are uncertain of what you want or what the total cost might be, send an email to teresa@rednoseresponse.org and she will have an quick answer for you.

This comes from Martha 'Miss Cookie' Warren... "We have a wonderful, caring, and loving clown family. All of us do so much to help others and to put smiles on the faces of those in need. Many of you may have family or friends who have been through the ordeal of our last storm "Ike", and have had to reach out to them; shelter and feed them. Or even other situations that have called you to someone's need.

I am also reaching out for your help. Why? My daughter, Taryn, has taken on a teaching job in a small town right outside of Galveston. She choose this small town of Hitchcock because her passion is to help children who live in very low, economically impoverished conditions. Her purpose of teaching was to be somewhere she could really make a difference. 70% of these families live at below low income level. Parents work 2 and 3 jobs just to put food in their children's mouths. Their living conditions aren't anything we can imagine. This last storm took away what little they had. Many families are still living in the Hitchcock church on a gymnasium floor. Red Cross is feeding them but many don't even have silverware to use.

I have met Mrs. Trahan, this very passionate principle of Hitchcock Elementary. She has opened her heart to these people and is dedicated in helping them in every way she can. She works to get financial assistance for her school so the teachers will have tools to educate these children. She has now extended herself between the elementary, Jr high, and Sr high schools to get these elementary kids back in school. The pre-K and kindergarten classes have been up and running for 2 weeks, but the rest of the kids are still at the other schools. Mrs. Trahan has put an all out effort to get assistance for these families who have lost everything because of the hurricane. She is using her school as a distributing port for items to be given to these families. She has met with officials in Hitchcock and the families to get an estimate of what is needed.

I am putting out a list of things that I will take responsibility in collecting. And this is what I am proposing to do. I am going to collect as much stuff as I can and lead a Clown Caravan to Hitchcock Elementary School in Hitchcock, Texas, no matter how large or small!

The date planned is November 6 & 7.

I am hoping to collect enough household items where I have to rent a truck and fill cars!!! Are you up to a challenge? I am needing as much help as I can get. Do you want to join in on this effort to help these people get their lives back in order? You are encouraged to join me. And if not in body, hopefully in spirit, prayers, and giving."

Martha has offered her phone number but we are reluctant to publish it in this newsletter. However, please contact her immediately at: martha2cool@sbcglobal.net for the most current list of needed items.

As promised, we are releasing parts of our manual online. In the coming days and weeks, you will be able to find valuable information posted on our website.

The following topics will be covered: a) How do I get involved? b) What is a responder? c) Relief Organization information d) Shelter Work 101 e) Guidelines for Helping Others During A Disaster f) Client Behavior - What you can expect g) Code of Conduct h) Dress Code

This is only the beginning. Check back regularly to find out more.

Teresa Gretton, RNR advisor, is here to clarify some things about the training classes being offered by the American Red Cross. There seems to be much misunderstanding about how to request classes so hopefully the following information might be helpful with future sign-ups.

"In order for responders to assist (as volunteers or Red Nose responders) in shelters, certain criteria must be met from an "emergency management" standpoint. Many rules have been changed since "Katrina" and are still changing for the best offer of assistance.

If a RNR responder would like to take classes from the Red Cross to assist in shelter operations and to spread comic relief, it is imperative that the responder personally contact the local Red Cross chapter and first sign up to become a Red Cross volunteer, not a RNR responder. The classes are not RNR classes, they are Red Cross classes. They are two distinct entities working in partnership with one another. Therefore, do not request classes through your chapter by saying, "I'm here to take the Red Nose Response classes" or "I'm here to become a Red Nose Responder." (You become a Red Nose Responder when you initially sign up for RNR by contacting us at info@rednoseresponse.org.)

When requesting the classes, please ask to take the disaster preparedness classes (Fulfilling Our Mission, Shelter Operations, and Mass Care). After successfully taking the classes and becoming a R.C. volunteer, the opportunity becomes more opportunistic to spread the comic relief or soft assistance throughout the chapter's activities as well as possible disasters, including local fires. "Soft assistance" is a necessary ingredient in the process of recovery and assisting those affected by disasters.

When the time is right, produce a copy of the ARC-RNR Statement of Understanding (found on the RNR Bulletin Board under the heading "RNR and The American Red Cross" at our website). That can be your starting point with your chapter as a Red Nose Responder. Take the classes first, get your red nose in the door, and then work hand-in-hand both as a volunteer and a responder. Prove our worth on both sides.

Every chapter needs volunteers who can contribute significantly to their community's needs. Aside of Disaster Action Teams, volunteers can also avail their talents as instructors, fundraising agents, etc."

We contacted as many responders as we could in the states anticipated to be hit the hardest by Hurricanes Hanna, Gustav and Ike. This came from Karen Boudreaux.

"Sorry I am just getting to this e-mail now. Was only able to get to the Internet when we went to the library while we were in Tenn. and since we only had 30 minutes we searched the net for news from home. (Editor's note: Dan and Karen had moved to Houma where Gustav came in).

We had a little roof damage and the roof of our shed is messed up pretty bad. But that is so minor compared to what could have been and what others got. Dan did lose his job because we evacuated and didn't return sooner (we weren't allowed to return). And a lot of our clowning gigs were of course canceled so things have been tight financially....especially since we spent bill money on the evacuation. But we are picking up little odd jobs here and there.

I know that Texas got it worse than this area but Louisiana got it pretty bad from both storms...and many people are devastated. After Ike hit Texas what little aid that was being given took off and left a lot of people feeling pretty deserted. My brother is a Nurse Practitioner. He said he was seeing a patient and the mother just broke down in his office. He said that her house was destroyed and that she was living on the floor of her mother-in-law's living room. She said that she had an appointment with FEMA for them to come see her house but they called and canceled it because they were going to Texas. When she asked when they would re-schedule it, it would be indefinitely.

Please send us your story so we can publish it in an upcoming E-zine. Send it to barbara@rednoseresponse.org.

If you wish to respond to Karen's story and show your support, please visit the "Sending Smiles" section of thr RNR Bulletin Board on our website.

Before the storms hit, we got this message from Juanette 'Silly Nilly' Benigno: "We are all prepared and just waiting for Gustav now. We live in Baton Rouge. I am Silly Nilly the Clown. Since all the residents of my neighborhood know me - I am planning on a walk around the neighborhood after Gustav hits and it is safe as Silly. We have lots of kids here and I'm sure a clown walking the subdivision would be a real silly sight and pleasure in the midst of all the junk I am sure will be around and a healer to the nerves of the event."

After the storm she reported: "We were finally powered up last night (Sept. 8). We have just returned from Mississippi where we went for a couple of days just to recoup our nerves and purchase gas cans, cords, oil, etc. for our new generator which was delivered to us from north Mississippi. None of these items were available in Baton Rouge after the storm. Most of Baton Rouge has power but many, many trees down. Most all of Baton Rouge had heavy trees and power lines down.

Since Baton Rouge was not opened as a shelter to the public this time, there are only a few shelters operating here and there and there is still much power outage in the state and all around us. There are many FEMA distribution centers for MRE, water and ice. Of course now we are still stocking up for Ike if he happens to turn against us.

I will go into my neighborhood this afternoon and walk the streets and I plan to call a church I know that opened its doors for a shelter in North Baton Rouge. It is The Miracle Place Church. I will also contact my church, Healing Place Church, to see what I can do to help there. They are serving food to people. We have 4 other outreach churches that are Healing Place churches as well. I know one community doesn't have power yet and it is really poor. I will try to take pictures and send them and keep you informed."

If you want to share your support for the people of Baton Rouge or wish to simply leave a message for Silly Nilly, please visit the "Sending Smiles" section of the RNR Bulletin Board on our website.

This message and suggestion comes from Kathy "Grandma Huggs" Cannon. It reflects just exactly the kind of involvement and support of the community that Red Nose Response is all about.

The wildfires are raging once again in California, with more destruction and displaced people. However, this also speaks to how resilient we are.

Kathy writes: "The 1 year anniversary of the devastating 2007 Wildfires in Rancho Bernardo is coming up in a few weeks. We have been asked to entertain at the memorial event. I thought it would be a good event for the 'Red Nose Response' group to participate in."

This is the request she received: "Rebuild Escondido and RB United are having a 1 year memorial event for the October 2007 fires at Kit Carson Park on Saturday, October 25th and would love to have "Red Nose Response" provide entertainment in the children's area and, if you would like, there could also be stage time available."

If you want to participate, please send Grandma Huggs an email asap at kscanno1150@cox.net.

We want to update our online photo album and showcase more pictures in our E-zine. Send us photos and detailed descriptions of all of your hard work on behalf of those in need.

Send them to info@rednoseresponse.org

This is an appeal from the Board of Red Nose Response. Please tell us if you know of any clowns who are in need as a result of the hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and, now once again, wildfires. We want to help them too. We saw last year what a generous and spontaneous outpouring can come from just one story. Email us at info@rednoseresponse.org.

Sincerely,