 
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Sunday, September 16, 2001
By Mackenzie Carpenter, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Money and offers of help have been pouring into local relief agencies this week in the wake of the terror attacks in New York and Washington, officials said.
"We have had a fantastic response," said Bob DeWitt, a spokesman for United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, which is participating in the national United Way organization's Sept. 11th Fund, which is raising money for the families of victims who were rescue workers, firefighters and police officers.
A morning fund-raising drive for United Way held Friday by four local radio stations lined up on Mazeroski Way in front of PNC Park had yielded $177,000 by late afternoon, putting the total given to United Way in the past three days at more than $600,000. The four stations will be at PNC Park again tomorrow, collecting donations from 3 p.m. until the 7:05 p.m. start of the Pirates game.
"We've had donations in fives, tens, even a check for $2,000," said DeWitt, who then paused as someone whispered in his ear. "Oh my, I've just heard that [Pittsburgh Pirate] Kris Benson has just given us a check for $20,000." Before the day was over, Benson had also made a $15,000 donation to the Salvation Army and given $10,000 to the American Red Cross.
"It's just incredible when you think of the people who took the time today to stop by and give. It's amazing," added Greg Jena, director of marketing and promotion at KDKA Radio, one of four stations owned by Infinity Broadcasting that participated. The other three were B-94, Y-108 and Star-100.7.
Besides the money raised on Mazeroski Way, the Sept. 11th Fund also has received gifts of $100,000 each from the United Way of Allegheny County, H.J. Heinz Co., the Heinz Endowment and Mellon Financial Corp. as well as $25,000 from the Pittsburgh Foundation.
The desire to help even obliterated some longstanding professional rivalries, said Ginny Knor, spokeswoman for the Salvation Army, noting that WTAE-TV and WPXI-TV ran telethons at the same time to benefit her organization's relief effort.
"I've been in [public relations] for 22 years and I never thought anything like this would happen," said Knor, adding that more than $400,000 had been raised by late afternoon between the two telethons and other giving.
"We've had so many people calling, wanting to do something. This whole effort is about helping people keep their standard of living. The most we're trying to do is make sure the families of these victims don't suffer financially."
Mellon Financial has donated $100,000 to the Salvation Army and also has set up collection sites at more than 150 Mellon locations to contribute to relief funds, said spokesman Ron Gruendl.
"At our offices at 1 Mellon Center, there's been a steady stream of people" donating money, he said.
The company also has donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund to aid its rescue and recovery efforts, Gruendl said. To bolster the monetary contributions by Mellon employees worldwide, the corporation has established a special $50,000 program to match individual employee contributions of up to $500 to recognized nonprofit organizations providing relief. Another $100,000 has been earmarked by Mellon to support local and other emergency support activities.
Marathon Oil Co., part of USX, donated $200,000 to the American Red Cross along with Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC, which is partly owned by USX. AK Steel in Middletown, Ohio, contributed $50,000 to the Red Cross.
PNC Bank's branches will accept donations for the Red Cross as will volunteers on the UltraViolet Loop, an evening bus service for people enjoying the nightlife in Pittsburgh over the weekend.
And a community partnership in central Westmoreland County has been established to benefit both the Salvation Army and Red Cross.
The "Attack on America Relief Fund" was formed by the governments of Greensburg and Hempfield, the Greensburg Salem and Hempfield Area school districts, the city and township fire departments and the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.
Donations will be accepted today at the information booth during Hempfield Community Days in the township park off Route 66.
Donations will be taken this week in the township building, city hall and all fire stations in the two towns, according to township Supervisor Bill Reese. All money collected will go to the two agencies.
Howard Rieger, president of the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh, said that the organization's annual meeting last week was standing room only -- even though it had been canceled.
Instead, he said, people just took out their checkbooks to make a collective donation to the organization's national fund-raising effort at United Jewish Communities in New York.
In the lobby of the Jewish Community Center in the South Hills, a box set up for donations is being filled quickly, said Julie Miller, a spokeswoman. Those who wish to donate at the JCC's Squirrel Hill branch can bring checks or in-kind donations to the marketing office.
"The response has been so generous and we hope to receive even more over the weekend and on Monday," said Miller.
Pastors at the 215 parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh have been asked to take up second collections either this weekend or next weekend for relief efforts through Catholic Charities.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is directing members to contribute to its Domestic Disaster Relief Fund.
The Muslim Community of Greater Pittsburgh in Monroeville has set up a victims' fund. The money collected will be sent to agencies working at the disaster sites. The group is also asking all Muslim doctors to volunteer in New York and Washington.
Non-cash donations also have come in.
Pennsylvania-American Water Co. has donated more than 550 cases of bottled water to New York, Washington and Somerset County.
Coal miners from PennAmerican Coal LP in Burrell, Indiana County, are on standby to help with disaster recovery efforts in Manhattan.
Perkins Eastman Architects, a Downtown architectural firm, got a call Thursday night from the federal government, one of the firm's clients for the last eight years. The General Services Administration, which manages all of the federal government's real estate, asked Perkins Eastman to supervise a structural assessment of five government-owned buildings, all located three-fourths of a mile from the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center.
All of the buildings were evacuated after Tuesday's attacks, and have sat empty since.
"The question on everybody's mind was whether it was safe to go back into those buildings," said Dick Northway, a Perkins Eastman principal who is leading the firm's efforts in New York.
From Pittsburgh, Northway assembled more than a dozen New York-area engineers from a variety of firms that do business with Perkins Eastman.
For the last few days, his team has been examining each building and by tomorrow it will make its recommendation to the federal government.
The buildings, Northway said, appear to be structurally solid. He expects the buildings to reopen tomorrow or Tuesday.
Perkins Eastman is being paid a "nominal amount" for its work, Northway said. "We are essentially volunteering our time to the effort."
For companies thinking of leaving New York, Fayette County wants them to know that there are plenty of places to rebuild right here in Western Pennsylvania.
According to The Associated Press, county commissioners released $10,000 Thursday to place an ad in The Wall Street Journal offering office space ranging from free to $8 per square foot. The county is more than 300 miles west of New York.
Commissioner Sean Cavanagh said some people might think the county is trying to profit from a tragedy. "But we're trying to be as altruistic as possible," he said. "Entire companies don't have a place to go."
Here are several organizations accepting relief donations:
Amazon link to Red Cross donations -- Amazon.com has set up a site to enable people to make an online credit card donation. All funds raised will go directly to the Red Cross. The URL: http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/paypage/PKAXFNQH7EKCX/102-4862110-0688129.
Americares disaster relief -- AmeriCares, the international disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, is currently staging medical teams and assembling disaster relief modules to assist in the aftermath of the horrific attack on the United States. The relief modules consist of bandages, gauze, tape, disinfectants, casting materials and other essential medical products. Donations can be sent to AmeriCares, 161 Cherry St., New Canaan, CT 06840 or by calling AmeriCares at (800) 486-4357 or logging onto www.americares.org.
Catholic Charities USA -- To contribute to the Sept. 11 disaster relief fund: Call (800) 919-9338, or send checks to: Catholic Charities USA, PO Box 25168, Alexandria, VA 22313-9788.
Feed the Children -- Long established aid group pitches in to help disaster victims. Donations at www.feedthechildren.org or (800) 525-7575.
Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh -- Checks can be deposited in a special fund at PNC Bank.
National Organization of Victim Assistance -- National Organization for Victims Assistance has established a Fund for Terrorist Attack Victims. They are in the process of mobilizing teams of Crisis Response Team volunteers from around the nation who have been trained to respond to the emotional needs of those who are victims or witnesses to such incredible tragedy. Donate at 1730 Park Road NW, Washington, DC 20010-2101.
New York City Fire Safety Foundation -- 555 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
New York City Police Foundation -- 345 Park Ave., New York, NY 10154.
New York Fraternal Order of Police -- New York Fraternal Order of Police Fund, 911 Police Plaza, c/o Robert Lucente, Hicksville, NY 11801.
New York Red Cross donations -- To donate directly to the American Red Cross in Greater New York, visit www.nyredcross.org/donate/index.htm, or call (877) 733-2767.
PNC Bank Disaster Relief Fund -- Donations to the Red Cross through this fund can be made in person or mailed to PNC Bank, National Financial Services Center, c/o PNC Bank Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 3489, Pittsburgh, PA 15230-9459.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance -- Donate online at www.pcusa.org/pda/response/USDisasters/USBombing/index.shtml or by calling (800) 872-3283.
Red Cross blood donations -- The Red Cross hotline for blood donations is (800) 448-3543. The agency has asked people willing to donate blood first to call and schedule an appointment.
Red Cross donations general -- To donate money to Red Cross relief efforts call (800) 435-7669. The Red Cross also accepts donations online. Go to http://redcross.org.
Salvation Army -- The Salvation Army will accept financial contributions through (800) 725-2769 or at //store.yahoo.com/salvationarmy.
Sept. 11th Fund -- The United Way has established The Sept. 11th Fund to help those affected by providing immediate support to established emergency assistance agencies. Contributions to the United Way of America's September 11th Fund can be sent locally to The Pittsburgh Foundation, One PPG Place, 30th Floor, Pittsburgh 15222 or to local United Ways. The United Way of Allegheny County's address is PO Box 64716P, Pittsburgh, PA 15264. Donations can be made online at www.unitedwaypittsburgh.org. Donors can also send contributions to United Way, 2 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016 or call: (212) 251-4035. Donations also can be made at relief.yahoo.com/unitedway/.
United Jewish Communities Emergency Relief Fund -- Checks made payable to this fund can be sent to 111 Eighth Ave., Suite 11E, New York, NY 10011.
United Methodist Committee on Relief -- Give through your local United Methodist church or mail contributions to: UMCOR, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Call (800) 554-8583 to make a credit card donation. One hundred percent of your gift goes to the designated response.
Walt Disney disaster relief -- The Walt Disney Co. Foundation/DisneyHAND: Survivor Relief Fund. Send donations to: The Walt Disney Co. Foundation ,File 56828, Los Angeles, CA 90074-6582
Yahoo donations site -- To donate to NY Firefighter's Fund, Red Cross, Salvation Army, and United Way, visit www.yahoo.com -- Yahoo! has direct links to make donations.