Teams Affected by Hurricane Katrina

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by Andy Baker

... he would volunteer to host exchange students from other countries.

...

I am wondering if we could do this for students on these FIRST teams in the Gulf Coast area? Of course, this time, there would be no "exchange". It could be a placement program for FIRST students from teams in this area.

Could this happen? Is it needed? What are some of the legal hurdles here? If anyone wants to help investigate this, PM me and we can start working on this idea.

Andy B.

I thought the same thing, but with questions. Would HS students like to be "exchanged" throughout the country? Or would they prefer to stay with their families, no matter how tenuous the situation? (I'm sure it's a different decision for each individual.)

I don't think there would be much of a legal hurdle - after all, as you say, students have been traded to/from abroad for years, it shouldn't be that hard to do it within the country. I don't know if you could go through one of the existing agencies that arrange this kind of thing.

As for fundraising, there's no need to set up separate accounts. If a FIRST team wants to collect funds, all power to them. Just forward the amount to the Red Cross or Salvation Army or UMCOR or other agencies that are already set up to do disaster relief. It will get to the people that need it faster.

Many of us know what the Astrodome is like. OK, it's dry, has water, has electricity. But it's far from comfortable. I wouldn't want to think of sharing it for weeks with thousands of people. Let's do what we can to help those moving there, and the many others who will be getting aid in other locations.

I'm posting a challenge. Whatever you had personally decided to donate, double it. Then do it again next week, and again next month. There will be a need far into the future. Just to get enough for the emergency situation, every resident of the US will have to donate the equivalent of one day's cost for one person's food and shelter. That doesn't even address the relocation and rebuilding costs.