There have been many times throughout our American history when we have been called on to come together and meet the challenges of hardship and tragedy. Times when we come together as a cohesive unit, put aside our differences and find solutions to difficult problems. This is one of those times.

This blog is meant to be a light-hearted journal of the work we do. But today it seems so unimportant. With the Gulf Oil spill still relatively out-of-control and the balance of nature in the region at a precipice, graphic design and real estate photography can sit on the back-burner for a short time. I decided to take just a few moments out of my day to research ways in which everyday people are, and can help with the cleanup and recovery from this unprecedented tragedy.

Below you will find a list of links to various websites I came across that offer up information on volunteering and organizations in need of your support. Since this is a non-political blog, I have tried to steer away from any groups affiliated with one party or another. If there are groups on here you don’t support, please just move on to another link and find one that you feel you can get behind. Any link included, by no means, is a statement of support on our part - we are just trying to get information out there to make it easier for people to get involved.

LINKS:

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/how_to_help_volunteers_needed.html

http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Conservation/Threats-to-Wildlife/Oil-Spill/On-the-Ground.aspx

http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org/

http://www.humanesociety.org/news/gulf_oil_spill_response.html

http://matteroftrust.org/

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/30/impact.oil.spill/index.html

I am sure there are many links that we have missed, and there are other ways in which to get involved. This is just the amount I was able to gather quickly during my lunch break. Get the word out and let other people know what they can do to help. I have heard, but not confirmed, that many local pet groomers are donating collected fur, so ask your groomer if they are part of this. If not, ask them to save your pet’s fur in a bag and find a way to donate it to one of the places listed above. I have also heard, and not confirmed, that there are hair salons doing the same thing. It’s just one way, those of us so far away, may be able to make a difference. If this happened in our backyard, along the shores of Lake Erie, we would desperately need and welcome the help of our fellow Americans!