Yesterday I had the honor of attending a meeting of The Gulf Coast Connection here in Pittsburgh, an association of about 200 former residents of the Gulf Coast who relocated to Western PA after Katrina and Rita.
The Gulf Coast Connection is run by a force of nature named Lurline Cadogan, a resident of New Orleans until Katrina hit. Since it seems Pittsburgh is the first and only city to organize Gulf Coast evacuees into an association of this type, Ms. Cadogan has been invited to help other regions create similar groups. The first city she is helping is Philadelphia, with over 1,000 evacuees of their own.
Please click on the Pittsburgh tab, as many of the Gulf Coast Connection members here in Pittsburgh have posted items and services of which they are in need. Please note that jobs, rent-to-own homes and counseling services are among the requests.
At the meeting was a wonderful man named Dave Sevick, who, among many other things, co-runs a group that refurbishes used computers (Mac and some PCs) and provides them at a very low cost to those who are in need of a computer system and can’t afford one. Mr. Sevick, along with Bob Donaldson (another great guy), have coordinated the refurbishment and shipping of hundreds of computers to the Gulf Coast in the past couple months. Mr. Sevick announced at the meeting yesterday that he currently has numerous computers available for the Gulf Coast evacuees in Pittsburgh, should they need a system. Dave Sevick is an amazing person and what he is doing is truly inspirational. For more information on Mr. Sevick and his program visit The North Pittsburgh Macintosh Users Group website.
Dave Sevick and his group are a beautiful example of how one-on-one connections make it all happen when we are trying to help each other!
The devastation suffered by the citizens of the Gulf Coast is not going away anytime soon. Lives and livelihoods were washed away overnight. But, the thing is, even if it took just hours to be yanked away, rebuilding lives can, and will, take years. Please do what you can by searching through this site and seeing if there is any way you can help. If you are interested in setting up a Gulf Coast Connection in your region, or you have any questions about the group, contact Lurline Cadogan through the Gulf Coast Connection web site (link here).