OT: Your posts and value in crisis

[fhmaneely]

Many heartfelt thanks to you and all the other volunteers who have 
helped,and continue to help with the Katrina disaster. You guys are 
awesome! Unfortunately I was only able to help with a monetary 
donation and not with my time. So On this Thanksgiving day, I will 
give thanks for all the wonderful people like you!

Regards,
Fran

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Charme" <dontask2much at y...> 
wrote:
>
> All,
> 
> It's been a long time, but I have a really good excuse - during 
parts of 
> Sept and all of October, I was deployed fulltime with the American 
Red Cross 
> and assisting federal agencies after Katrina hit the Gulf coast. I 
got back 
> in early Nov and have been struggling to catch up in my life back 
here ever 
> since.
> 
> That being said, the Old Crowd group was my escape from the stress 
of my 
> volunteer work, as I was wirelessly connected to the Internet via a 
Treo I 
> was graciously given to use. I wanted you to know that I read your 
> posts(Barry, Lyn, Talisman, Catlady, Susan Albrecht, Eustace-
Scrubb, pippin, 
> and the others) often out loud to other adult Potterheads who were 
in 
> shelters or hotels where I stayed during my work with the team - it 
became 
> an almost nightly affair in a huge shelter for 3 weeks.  I tried to 
use the 
> HPfGU messages but there were too many, and the conversation not as 
> enlightening in the opinion of my audience.  (Sorry, your thoughts 
were 
> REQUESTED by them, and of course I had to comply)
> 
> It ended up being an invaluable way to lighten the mood and discuss 
> something other than FEMA, flood damage estimates, and victim's 
lack of 
> personal property and homes. In fact, if I didn't download my 
messages from 
> this group when I had a signal, my fellow Potterheads were quite 
> disappointed. :)  Since donated copies of the Potter books were 
available, 
> many adults who hadn't read them before started to and became 
interested so 
> the discussion probably still is occuring elsewhere in my absence.
> 
> I just thought you should know how much I appreciated being able to 
be part 
> of this group, if only to read what you write and discuss. You 
unwittingly 
> contributed in your way to alleviating not only stress from my day, 
but for 
> those far less fortunate than me.
> 
> Much holiday Potter love -
> Charme
>