Like all Americans, I have been devastated by the tragedies of last week. When I heard, I was packing for my trip to Ireland—I was scheduled to leave last Wednesday. Needless to say, I didn’t leave and I’m not going to. I’ve cancelled my trip at the request of my family and friends. I was sad I couldn’t go on the trip I had been planning for so long, but that feeling paled in comparison to the pain and anguish of what has happened to our nation and to so many innocent families.
By last Thursday, I had to drag myself away from the television set for fear that a permanent depression might set in. Instead, I’ve vowed to assist in whatever little measures I can to relieve some of the suffering and to show my patriotism and love for my country. Here are some of the steps I’ve taken that have helped in coping:
Fly your American Flag on your home, on your car, or wear something patriotic. I’ve seen flags all over the place since last week and I think we need to do more of this. Flags are hard to come by, but here are a couple Web sites that might help:
Donate money to relief agencies. I’ve been in several businesses in the past few days that were taking collections to send to the Red Cross. Each of these businesses was going to match all donations dollar for dollar. Money is something that is really needed at this point by many of these agencies. Be aware of potential fraud, however. As usual, the dishonest people surface during a tragedy to pray on the good will of people. Be sure to read the American Red Cross Statement on Internet Fraud at www.redcross.org/press/mediarel/me_pr/010913fraud.html.
Many companies are providing ways for you to donate to these worthy causes. For instance, on Friday McDonalds pledged to send all money placed in the Ronald McDonald House Charities canisters in its restaurants to the American Red Cross. You can read about this on McDonalds’ Web site at www.mcdonalds.com/corporate/press/corporate/2001/09122001/index.html.
Give Blood (if you can). I haven’t given blood in about twenty years for several reasons. Yesterday I had the opportunity to give blood in a community blood drive. I feel very good about this gesture as I know it will help someone. As you’ve likely heard, the Red Cross has been overwhelmed by the people willing to give blood. The organization prefers that you try to make an appointment by either calling 1-800-HELP-NOW, or submitting the form on its Web site at redcross.advertising.com/help.html.
Volunteer. The Red Cross is also always looking for volunteers and at a time like this, they could probably use the extra people to process those wanting to donate blood. Information on volunteering for the Red Cross can be found at www.redcross.org/donate/volunteer/. There are other places that need volunteer help as well. Consider contacting your local hospital or other organization that might be helping with the relief efforts.
Hug Your Family Members. All of us need comfort at a time like this. Make sure to listen to your family members and friends and provide whatever emotional support you can. My family has rallied together and we’re all meeting in Chicago this week just to hug and love each other. There’s never too much hugging.
I know this column isn’t about genealogy or technology or any of my normal topics. I’ve been deeply affected by this tragedy in several ways and have found it hard to concentrate on genealogy since it happened. My prayers are with everyone affected by this terrorism and I hope we can all get on with our lives soon, if for no other reason than to show the terrorists that they cannot win! GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens, CGRS, CGL, is the managing editor of Genealogical Computing, editor of the Board for Certification of Genealogists’ newsletter OnBoard, the creator of Clooz—the electronic filing cabinet for genealogical records, co-creator of the new family health history program GeneWeaver, and a frequent contributor to Ancestry. She can be reached via e-mail at gceditor@ancestry.com.
GC Extra
