Patriot News

American Red Cross Helping Victims of Hurricane Wilma

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- As Hurricane Wilma thundered through large areas of Florida, the American Red Cross had already distributed truckloads of supplies for more than 100 shelters across the affected area. Hundreds of thousands of ready to eat meals, snacks and personal hygiene supplies were in place in an Orlando staging area days before the storm hit. Red Cross relief workers were dispatched to ensure that shelters were well stocked to supply food, water and various personal hygiene items to shelter residents.    » read more »

White House Remembers Sailors Killed in USS Cole Attack

Oct. 13, 2005
By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service

ARLINGTON, Va. – The sailors who died on board the USS Cole in a terrorist attack were remembered Oct. 12 at Arlington National Cemetery on the fifth anniversary of the attack. The White House Commission on Remembrance hosted the ceremony at the site where three of the guided missile destroyer's crewmembers are buried.    » read more »

Country Music Singer Ty England Performs USO Show for Troops in North Carolina

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Service members stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., will enjoy a USO show with country music singer Ty England during the Second Marine Expeditionary Force Homecoming Celebration Oct. 22.    » read more »

NBA Legends to Visit Seabees Assisting in Katrina Relief on USO Tour to Mississippi

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The USO, in conjunction with the NBA, is sending NBA Legends Artis Gilmore and Darryl Dawkins to Gulfport, Miss., Oct. 13-14 to visit military personnel serving in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The pair will shoot hoops with the troops, meet with children of military personnel, dine with service members, sign autographs and pose for photos at the Naval Construction Battalion Center. Gilmore and Dawkins also will spend time visiting Seabees working off-site on humanitarian projects.    » read more »

U.S.-Based Human Development Foundation Poised to Take Major Role in Providing Earthquake Assistance to Pakistan

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- A U.S.-based nonprofit organization with strong support among the Pakistani-American community and a network of projects in remote areas of Pakistan is ready to take a major role in assisting victims of the earthquake that has devastated much of that country.    » read more »

U.S. Fund for UNICEF: How to Help Children and Women in the Earthquake Affected Areas of Pakistan

NEW YORK, Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- In any disaster, it is children who suffer most. Of the four million people affected by the earthquake in Pakistan, approximately half are children and one-fifth are under the age of five.    » read more »

Andre Agassi, Barbra Streisand and an All-Star Line-up Help Raise More Than $10.1 Million for Children at Tenth Anniversary Celebrity Gala

Agassi and Manager Perry Rogers Make a $2.5 Million Personal Contribution

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Andre Agassi and a superstar line-up of entertainers took the stage Saturday evening at the Grand Slam for Children presented by Genworth Financial to benefit at-promise youth organizations in Southern Nevada. Surprise guest, legendary performer Barbra Streisand, stunned the crowd when she closed the evening's festivities. The Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation (AACF) raised more than $10.1 million during the gala benefit, which featured a black-tie VIP dinner, live auction and concert held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.    » read more »

Iranian Americans Engage in Volunteerism in the United States

Volunteerism a tradition in both Iran and America

21 September 2005
By Steve Holgate
Washington File Special Correspondent

"I am of old and young …
Of every hue and trade and rank, of every caste and religion,
Not merely of the New World, but of Africa, Europe or Asia … "
Leaves of Grass – Walt Whitman

Portland, Oregon -- The United States is a nation of immigrants. It is a nation of native citizens. It is a nation of individualists. It is a nation of communities -- including a substantial Iranian community. The great American poet Walt Whitman understood the paradoxes that shape the United States. Unlike older countries, it is not a nation formed by a long history or a single language or a monolithic culture. It is a nation formed, more than anything else, by a set of ideals.    » read more »

American Red Cross Projects Hurricane Katrina Most Costly Relief Effort in its History

Estimates more than $2 billion needed for emergency needs

WASHINGTON, Monday, September 19, 2005 — The American Red Cross estimates that more than $2 billion will be required to meet its cost for the emergency needs of Hurricane Katrina survivors. This is a sum 20 times greater than the relief provided by the Red Cross for all hurricanes in 2004. This assessment is based on the nearly one million people who require meals, shelter, financial assistance and other essential services over various periods of time.    » read more »

U.S. Chamber Discourages Rush to Litigate in Wake of Katrina

Barrage of Lawsuits Will Slow Hurricane Recovery Efforts

September 19, 2005 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) is warning that the financial devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina could be made worse by a rash of lawsuits that will delay and complicate recovery efforts for hundreds of thousands of the storms' victims. ILR urged citizens and government officials to work together to help the Gulf Coast region recover from this disaster, and not rush to the courthouse.    » read more »

Rev. Jackson Recommends a 21st Century Marshall Plan That Reinvests in the Gulf Coast

CHICAGO – (Sept. 19, 2005) – The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, issued the following statement regarding President Bush’s Recovery Plan for the Gulf Coast region:

The Bush Administration, Homeland Security and FEMA failed to provide the people of the Gulf Coast with needed rescue, evacuation and relief. As confidence in his administration fades and his poll ratings sink to record depths, the promises of his recovery plan are contradicted by his policies and practice.    » read more »

NAACP Unites Health Partners for Long-Term Katrina Relief

"Katrina Health Coalition" seeks committed and appropriate long-term healthcare for survivors

September 20, 2005 -- The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) announced today that it has partnered with top leaders in the healthcare industry to form the "Katrina Health Coalition." The coalition is committed to the recovery phase and reconstructing the current healthcare system so African Americans receive appropriate long-term care after surviving Hurricane Katrina.    » read more »

Washington, D.C. Mayor Williams Introduces Legislation to Aid Katrina Victims

(Washington, DC) In response to the needs that have arisen since nearly 300 evacuees from Louisiana relocated to the DC Armory, Mayor Anthony A. Williams this week sent to the City Council the DC Disaster, Relocation and Recovery Assistance Emergency Act of 2005. The emergency legislation would authorize the Mayor, upon declaration of a state of emergency or disaster, to provide disaster services, relocation and recovery assistance to evacuees or victims of a disaster. The legislation would not affect funding for current services for District-based homeless or low-income individuals and families.    » read more »

American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort Facts at a Glance

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross is responding to an unprecedented natural catastrophe and devoting every resource to this humanitarian relief effort.    » read more »

Former President Clinton Opens the Clinton Global Initiative

King Abdullah II, Prime Minister Blair and Secretary of State Rice Take Part in the CGI's Inaugural Opening Session Featuring the Unveiling of 4 Major Commitments Worth Over $200 Million

NEW YORK, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Former President William J. Clinton opened the Clinton Global Initiative, discussing the importance of the conference and introducing the topics of the event: poverty, religious strife, climate change, and governance. President Clinton then moderated the Opening Plenary Session panel, "Perspectives on the Global Challenges of Our Time." The panel was comprised of His Majesty Abdullah II, King of the Royal Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; The Right Honorable Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; and The Honorable Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State.    » read more »