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Ken, =20 I am emailing in the hopes of having an opportunity to talk if you are int= erested in the following possibility -- AOL Time Warner has given us a gre= at opportunity to spotlight the organizations that are providing systemic = responses to 9-11 (not just relief efforts) so that these organizations ca= nnot be left cold by the shadow of the American Red Cross but that they in= stead can receive support at this critical time. =20 =20 Below is what I sent to AOL TW in response to their invitation for the wor= k described below and their great offer to feature us on their site and ww= w.libertyunites.org . I wanted to talk with you because AOL TW and I want= to know if you can join AOL TW and support this initiative. =20 If possible, please let me know if we can talk sometime soon. Thanks for = considering this. =20 Jim ----------=20 In the wake of the events of September 11, the generosity of individuals,= foundations and businesses has never been more evident. The response to = Sept. 11 has begun to shift from a "relief" effort to efforts that address= the systemic changes that are needed for societal conditions to improve. = Now more than ever, social investors will be looking for organizations th= at address both the root causes of social problems and create sustainable = social change. At this time, the American Red Cross continues to be delug= ed with support; but what about the organizations that live in the shadow = of the Red Cross? The Red Cross and similar organizations are doing outst= anding work when they are needed most -- now other organizations are movin= g beyond the immediate relief efforts of feeding, clothing, housing the vi= ctims and are recognizing that there are new or exacerbated problems that = have been stirred up by Sept. 11. =20 For example, there are numerous organizations protecting civil liberties, = providing counseling, preparing communities for future disasters, and assi= sting displaced workers: organizations, such as the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, are steppin= g up their efforts to combat racial profiling that has begun and is leadin= g to the harassment of people who look of Middle Eastern descent; =20 organizations are supporting this same constituency when they are the vict= ims of hate crimes that have been perpetrated as a backlash to September 1= 1. =20 children are in need of counseling as a result of their personal fears or = fears for their parents and family; =20 organizations, such as Operation USA, are recruiting and deploying counsel= ors trained in post-traumatic stress to areas where needed;=20 efforts are underway to enhance community preparedness for acts of terrori= sm in their communities (such as evacuation procedures); and =20 organizations, such as Career Gear, are assisting low-income workers who l= ost their jobs as a result of Sept. 11 and now need career counseling, app= ropriate interview clothing and job retention services so they do not fall= into the spiral of welfare. (Please note that each of the organizations = mentioned above are SeaChange members). These are just a few examples among many efforts that have commenced to re= spond to the call for change and not just service. Life will never be the= same. These organizations are working to see that it will in fact be bet= ter. But, unfortunately, they are not known by most philanthropists, foun= dations or businesses. In fact, we have heard from organizations that som= e businesses are pulling back from commitments to these smaller organizati= ons to associate with the larger organizations providing rescue, relief an= d recovery services. These lesser-known organizations, who are doing crit= ical social change work, need to feel the philanthropic winds in their sai= ls too so they can make progress toward much needed change. =20 Many funds have been created to earmark money for the Sept. 11 response, b= ut the recipients of a significant portion of those monies have not yet be= en identified. Companies have, for example, set aside several million dol= lars and have earmarked half or more for the Red Cross, but still have not= decided what to do with the rest of the funds. For these Funds, for www.= helping.org and www.libertyunites.org , and for social investors in our = network, SeaChange is uniquely positioned to become the source of informat= ion of organizations that are moving beyond relief efforts and are focused= on the systemic changes necessary for conditions to improve. On their be= half, SeaChange can directly approach the administrators of these Funds an= d other social investors to make them aware of these overlooked change org= anizations. =20 =20 The mission of SeaChange is to connect entrepreneurial nonprofits with res= ources for sustainable social change. We will do just that by spotlightin= g the very organizations that can have an impact not only today, but tomor= row as well. For social investors, we will provide them with detailed in= formation about a broad menu of screened organizations working to effect s= ocial change not only in response to Sept. 11 but also in response to the = changed environment in which we now live. SeaChange also provides these p= otential supporters with an easy way to search for organizations that meet = their giving specifications. Additionally, they can be notified of organiz= ations that meet their criteria -- doing all of this anonymously if they c= hoose to. And, as discussed above, we will not only do this online, but = offline as well by advocating to various Fund adminstrators. As a resul= t, SeaChange will effectively and efficiently connect those who are seekin= g support at this critical time with those who are looking to give their s= upport. =20 -- Jim Pitofsky CEO SeaChange San Francisco,CA =20 =20 (415) 291-9900 jim@sea-change.org http://www.sea-change.org
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