Hurricane relief projects listed

Contributions sought by area groups

The American Red Cross
   In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the American Red Cross has mounted the largest relief effort in its history.
   To donate to the American Red Cross:
   • Call (800) HELP-NOW (435-7669).
   • Donate online, www.redcross.org, a secure site.
   • Contact the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey by calling (609) 951-8550 or online at www.njredcross.org.
Helping Gulf students
   On Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. at The Lawrenceville School, a "Holiday Extravaganza" will raise funds to assist Dillard University, Southern University at New Orleans, Tougaloo College and Xavier University in recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
   Proceeds of the gift show will aid students that have had their education interrupted due to the hurricane and who otherwise may not be able to continue their schooling.
   The show will offer a selection of jewelry, handbags, stationery, toys, "pamper yourself" items, pottery, holiday cards and many other items.
   Admission is $10. The show will take place in Abbott Dining Hall. For more information, call event producer "Do me a Favor" at (609) 936-8885.
Pancake breakfast
   On Sunday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., the Rotary Club of Montgomery/Rocky Hill will present a pancake breakfast, "Hope for the Holidays for the Kids of Katrina," in the new Montgomery High School, which is located on Route 601, just north of Route 518.
   The goal of this popular Rotary charity event is to provide help for the student Katrina evacuees in McComb, Miss. More than 300 kids have been thrust into a school system of 3,000. They and their families often arrived in McComb with little more than the clothes on their backs. Many do not have a home to return to.
   "Montgomery/Rocky Hill Rotary club is the first in the nation to partner with a Katrina-impacted club. Working with the McComb Rotary Club, which has focused on providing help to these kids, M/RH already has sent over $8,000 to alleviate the emergency needs of these student evacuees," said Dr. Michael Tofano, Rotary Club president.
   "’The Kids of Katrina’ and their families are facing a dreary holiday season. We wish to provide some hope for their holidays with gifts of necessities, some presents for the youngsters, and a community celebration for these needy kids," he said.
   This year’s pancake breakfast will feature new opportunities to contribute. The club is producing a "Kids of Katrina: How You Can Help" booklet, which will provide a survey of the ongoing and long-term needs of the children and families devastated by the hurricane, and a check list of how to help.
   The Club is accepting advertising to help raise relief funds. For information about placing ads, call Mike Dimino, (908) 216-7451.
   The pancake breakfast will also feature a silent auction. Businesses and individuals from around the region have stepped forward to offer valuable items.
   Tickets for the pancake breakfast are being sold at the door. Tickets are $10 general; $6, seniors and children 10 and under, $6.
   For more information, call (609 921-6340.
The Rotary gets busy
   Rotary International’s District 7510, of which the Rotary Club of Princeton is a part, organized two shipments of emergency supplies to the Gulf this week. Three tractor-trailers were filled with all manner of items, ranging from batteries and hygiene products to young children’s toys, and dispatched from the district collection point at a warehouse in Bound Brook.
   The shipment was organized by Elly Ezra, past district governor, and coordinated in Princeton by Rotarian John Powell. Members of the Princeton Rotary purchased needed items from a central list and brought them down Wednesday to the Nassau Inn, where Mr. Powell had a truck to pick them up.
   "I have been in contact with several of the Rotary coordinators in the Gulf states and they informed me that they have cordoned some huge warehouses in the four states (including Texas, after Hurricane Rita)," Mr. Ezra said.
   "Some 150 to 300 Rotarians are working at each warehouse to receive supplies on trucks, sort them in the warehouses and then locally distribute them in cars, pick-up trucks, etc., to the displaced people in hundreds of locations."
   The use of the Bound Brook warehouse was donated by Advance Properties. The New Jersey Truckers Association and BassTrucking of Flemington donated tractor-trailers and drivers for the trip south.
Seminary concert
   Princeton Theological Seminary will hold a Hurricane Katrina Benefit Concert on Friday, Nov. 11, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Main Dining Room of the Mackay Campus Center.
   Hosted by the Princeton Seminary Hurricane Relief Mission, the concert will feature several different artists and styles, including gospel hip hop by "360," jazz from Victor Lin, recording artist Shauna Park, vocalist Neah Lee, and special dance performances. Complimentary refreshments will be served.
   A silent auction of valuable items will also be held, and there will be a multimedia presentation on the hurricane damage, its impact upon the residents, and theological responses to the disaster.
   The suggested donation is $15 per person, $10 for students and their spouses. Space is limited, but seats can be reserved by contacting Neah Lee at [email protected]. All proceeds will go to relief work in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.
   For more information, visit www.xanga.com/ptsrelief.
   This will be the second fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief on the Seminary campus. The first was the Zydeco and Jambalaya Festival on Sept. 24. It featured Mitchell’s Cajun Aces, a local Cajun Band; jambalaya, made with donations of 60 pounds of onions, 12 bunches of parsley, 150 pounds of rice, and 100 pounds of chicken, and more than 30 gallons of sweet tea.
   The festival drew more than 225 attendees and raised more than $2,300 for disaster relief.