In the nine years we've run Foolanthropy, our annual charity drive here at The Motley Fool, we've always tended to choose organizations that are either national or international in scope. Leaning in that direction is built into our very tenets, in fact.
In our mission statement at foolanthropy.com, it's clearly stated: "Foolanthropy involves the public at large, and as a company, The Motley Fool is focused on national solutions. This will be one of the standards by which all [charitable] nominations are evaluated."
But this year, some of us at the Fool believe that a rule-breaking approach might be appropriate. Considering the series of hurricanes that has devastated the entire Gulf Coast, put one of America's most beloved major cities out of commission indefinitely, caused the death of more than 1,000 people, and turned hundreds of thousands of Americans into refugees, wouldn't it be better to pick at least one charity devoted to hurricane relief?
I admit, I have a personal reason for wanting to see the Deep South rebuilt right. New Orleans has always been my favorite city. I spent time there as a kid, and I got to know the more adult haunts of the city very well as an undergrad at Tulane. At freshman orientation, we were told that someday a big storm would come, the neglected levees would break, the low-lying city would fill up like a bowl with swamp water, and that was why the people of New Orleans partied every day like it was their last. That was back in 1992. Whether you took it as a romantic notion or as a terrifying premonition, it was never a secret. It was part of the charm of the City that Care Forgot.
Today, it's all too clear that those words were more than a romantic notion. And there's nothing romantic about the colossal cleanup and rebuilding project that the region will face for years to come.
Even those not affected personally by the tragedy will feel it in their pockets when they pull up to the gas pump or look at their winter heating bills. Depending on where they live, they might also notice that there are a lot fewer jobs, a lot more students in their state universities or primary schools, and many more people on the streets who have fallen between the cracks. Cities as far away as Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Seattle have taken in members of the Katrina diaspora.
There's no question that this is a massive, urgent problem and that countless organizations have been or will be involved in the solution. The question is whether we as Fools contributing to Foolanthropy should focus at least some of our attention on the organizations that will help in rebuilding the region.
One of the reasons we have chosen not to focus on local charities in the past is because it's difficult to get a Fool in, say, Orange County, Calif., jazzed about a homeless shelter, however Foolish, in Rochester, N.Y. But today, would it be as difficult to "jazz" (pun intended) that California Fool about helping out a New Orleans charity?
Another reason we've been biased toward larger-scope charities is that we intend to benefit the public at large by supporting something "epic in the grandeur of its concept and its mission." In the past, that has meant, more or less, something national or international.
But I feel that helping to rebuild the Gulf Coast and one of America's most vibrant cities is a task of epic grandeur. Surely we as a group can come up with some charities that fit one of our other Foolish tenets -- that the fruit of the charity's work brings about a sustainable solution rather than a quick fix. Long-term sustainable solutions will certainly be the only kind that will work for this monumental rebuilding project.
Organizations such as the Red Cross and the Salvation Army provided phenomenal immediate, life-saving assistance in the aftermath of the storms and continue to be instrumental in the relief effort. But are there other, lesser-known organizations out there that have been specifically set up for long-term, sustainable solutions to get people back living and working in New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport, and the other affected areas? If you know of any, we'd love to hear about them on our discussion board.
There are many organizations out there that have been newly set up to deal with hurricane victims, and there are many established organizations whose operations have effectively been taken over by hurricane relief. For instance, the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund offers assistance to displaced musicians with as little red tape as possible, and they offer full accountability of how the funds are spent. Mississippi Children's Home Services is now asking for money specifically to buy high-priced gas for foster visits and generators for shelters, to pay for repairs to their emergency shelter in Hattiesburg, and to buy electronics and Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) gift cards for displaced children.
Many posters to the Foolanthropy discussion board have expressed concern for the animal victims that, in most cases, were left to wait much longer than humans for rescue. Local charities helping these four-legged victims include the Louisiana SPCA, which is able to get a lot more work done since it got its phone lines restored as of Oct. 15, and the Humane Society of Louisiana. But these organizations face incredible difficulties. They aren't in contact with most of their members and volunteers, many of their shelters remain uninhabitable, and major fund-raising events have been cancelled for lack of citizenry and staffing. The Humane Society of Louisiana writes on its website, "After close to 20 years in New Orleans, our future is uncertain, without the caring support of people from outside our devastated region."
If that's not a wake-up call from a major organization in charge of many thousands of homeless animals whose owners may never come back, I don't know what is.
We are accepting nominations through Sunday, Nov. 6. If you know of any Foolish charities offering sustainable solutions to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, please post them to our discussion board.
In addition, if you have any thoughts on whether focusing at least some attention on the hurricane relief effort is a good idea, considering the massive amounts of money already going in that direction, we'd love to hear them. Keep in mind that many smaller organizations or chapters may not ever see that money pouring in, and your Foolanthropic donations might make a huge difference.
Fool editor Carrie Crockett is co-chair of Foolanthropy 2005. She owns no shares of Wal-Mart.
