Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast earlier this week with devastating effects, forcing hundreds of thousands out of their homes and causing at least 68 deaths, including 55 in Mississippi. Rescue efforts are currently under way, with many victims trapped on rooftops and in flooded communities. The area is experiencing a shortage of food, a lack of drinking water and no power to homes that are still standing. The devastation is unbelievable.
We at Craft Revolution have been watching the news coverage together (online) with heavy hearts. We know full-well the power of the indie community to come together to support one of our own in need. Now is the time to mobilize that power and reach out to the victims of this horrific storm.
We have approached Etsy.com with a plan to offer donated indie items for sale on their website. Etsy has offered us shop space (http://craftrevolution.etsy.com/) and to help us promote the event by mentioning the event in their blog and featuring some of the items from the shop.
All proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund, which is providing hot meals to victims and rescue workers, as well as providing other much needed assistance such as shelter, medical needs and even therapy for victims. Our initial goal is to raise $1,000.
With hopes of forming an unprecedented partnership across the entire indie design community, we’ve contacted the major shopping websites for help in promoting the event in their newsletters, blogs, and on their websites. Tanya Sharma of MyCicy.com and Leah Kramer of Craftster.org have already agreed to work with us.
We have set up a special disaster relief page on CraftRevolution.com (http://craftrevolution.com/craftersunited.htm) where we list our partner sites and maintain a complete list of participating shops and cash contributors. We will also provide a special banner and a blurb for anyone who wants to help spread the word to post on their websites and in their blogs.
We’re also working on a press release for the event that will be sent to numerous shopping sites and also sent out on PRWeb.
Want to help?
Donate an item for sale! You just need to provide us with a good-quality photo, description, retail value and shipping cost (if applicable) for your item. We’ll post the item on Etsy in our special disaster relief shop. Your business and website will be mentioned in the listing. When the item sells, we’ll contact you with the name and address of the winning bidder to ship to.
We’re also asking for participating shops to send out a special newsletter to help spread the word to their customers.
Even if you can’t donate an item, please consider posting something about the event on your sites, in your newsletters, and in your blogs. The more we get the word out, the more we can help!
If you’d like to make a direct donation with paypal, you may send your contributions to donations@craftrevolution.com. Please also send any inquiries or offers of donations and help to that address.
Thank you tons and bunches!
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