I think that Harbour Lights should consider making a special production of Ship Island Mississippi Lighthouse with the profits going to help the victims of hurricane Katrina.

What a great idea! It could also be done with West Rigolets or Chandeleur Island. The only problem might be getting it together in a timely manner...like all disasters, in a couple months, Hurricane Katrina will fade out of the public eye, and people will forget about it. If you release the piece too late, then you can't bank on the hurricane relief, either to make money for survivors or for HL themselves (they are a company, and no matter what, have to think about their own bottom line.)

If it could work, though, it could be great!

Definitely a nice thought but not really doable. If Bill headed for that area today it would probably take a year to 18 months before a piece could be available, and that would be hustling. Then you have to market it and almost guarantee a sell out of a large edition size to make any difference. Then you have to convince HL dealers to carry it and sacrifice part of their profit to show any real serious donation.

I've never heard of Ship Island, Mississippi, but it might be worth your while to nominate it for the second CF Exclusive when the time comes. Build up some support and your dream may come true!

Bob

Does anyone know of lighthouse preservation organizations in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and/or Louisiana?

http://www.sandislandlighthouse.com/ This page has a donation button for Sand Island AL

http://www.matagordalighthouse.com/ Matagorda TX

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/parkguide/rgn_gc_017.phtml Port Isabel TX - owned by the state of Texas.

On my list of USA Lighthouses These are the only ones I can find with a dedicated website.

Since it would take too long to create a new piece perhaps Harbour Lights could create a seralized signature set of Gulf Coast Little Lighthouse of Mines. They then could donate their profits to the victims of both Katrina and possibly the victims of Rita.

How about Harbour Lights picks one of the gulf lights and makes a glow with a percent of the profits go to the Red Cross/Coast Guard for future victims (we know there will be more )

Tchefuncte River: http://lpbmaritimemuseum.org/
Round Island: http://www.roundislandlighthouse.org/
Alabama Lights: http://alabamalighthouses.com/index.html
That's all I know of except the ones posted above

Ericlighthouse said: "...a glow with a percent of the profits go to the Red Cross..."

My comments may be an unwelcome input in this instance, but if I want to see my money go to any relief efforts, it's not to one that the CEO makes more than 30 times what I make in a year. Between reading the facts of where the money goes and talking to those that have been affected before by floods or storms, The Salvation Army is the only one of the Big Three (Red Cross, United Way and Salvation Army) that doesn't make your wallet want to go a little deeper in your pocket. Of course, you have to trust the kettle-minders unless you write a check with them.

Steve

Being a United Methodist, I can speak up for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Ours is a connectional denomination and each Methodist church has an apportionment due to the conference and ultimately to the denomination for it's national and international operations.

It is these approtionments which provide the support for UMCOR. 100% of any donations made to UMCOR go to the relief program, none to the 'overhead' or 'fund-raising efforts.' UMCOR has and still has support ongoing for the Tsunami.

Someone in our church donated to our Conference the use of a semi-truck and the 200 churches in Arizona, parts of Nevada and a bit of California collected specified supplies needed for Katrina evacuees. We shipped off 16 tons of goods last Thursday (the 15th)- which arrived at the UMCOR depot in Baldwin LA on Saturday.

The drivers (who volunteered their time) reported that because they were carrying relief supplies, they were waived past the weigh stations in New Mexico and Texas.

Among the goods UMCOR asks for are 'Flood Buckets' (kits of items needed to clean up flooding by individuals). When they unloaded the truck, those Flood Buckets went right on another truck for delivery into the flooded areas.

Here's what goes into a "Flood Bucket" Click here Or you can send a $45 donation.

www.umcor.org
www.methodistrelief.org

You don't have to be a United Methodist, a protestant, or a Christian to give to UMCOR, of course. I'm sure other denominations have similar programs; I just can't speak for them.