Holiday Help for Hurricane Victims of Katrina, Rita, etc.

Santa Knows the Way to New Orleans

Two year old Joshua clings to his mother’s hand. In his other hand, he tightly holds a book-the only one saved from his former shelf of fifty.

"He knows it by heart," his mom answers the question in my eye. "It’s the only one now so we read it every night."

It’s grimy, spotted and several pages stick together as we read it once again. Joshua shouts out a synopsis of each paragraph-before it is read. "And then," he announces triumphantly. "They all live happily ever after!" His eyes cloud briefly. And then he quietly goes to a corner of the room where a lone toy bulldozer sits and with a road created with notebook paper and a marker, he carefully maneuvers it around the room.

I’m happy to let Joshua know that Santa will indeed find his way to the temporary home where he and his mother are staying. I wish that I could announce that to all the children affected by the hurricane.

A website originally set up to assist with disaster housing has taken a step to ensure that some of the families affected by Katrina will have a holiday this year.

www.housingrelief.us is accepting sponsors who are willing to adopt a hurricane family for the holidays. The process is simple: The site owner verifies that the family is indeed from the affected areas and gathers names, ages, wants and needs. The sponsor purchases 1-2 gifts for each family member, wraps them and ships them directly to the affected family. The gifts should arrive to the families by 12/15.

"There have been many tough times in my family’s life." The site owner explains, "and we will never forget those who have helped us out."

The website already has several families signed up for assistance and many more are expected. Individual sponsors and groups are needed to provide gifts.

A ray of sunshine truly can make a difference for families with children, affected by the hurricanes this season. Just ask Joshua. He knows.

© Julie Bonn Heath