I haven't written much about Hurricane Katrina, but my husband and I have been following the news closely. Like everyone else, we are horrified and sickened by the tragedy. Like everyone else, we know people who have lost loved ones to the storm.
Yesterday we admitted a university student from Louisiana to one of our graduate programs; I was proud that my university will contribute in this way. (We're ignoring our deadlines, waiving the documentary requirements, and charging them less--which doesn't sound like much but given the size of our bureaucracy is a tangible contribution.) Still, I wished I could do more than enroll this person in a nonfiction writing workshop. Judging from their offers of help, housing, etc. to this student and Katrina refugees in general, most of my friends and colleagues feel the same way.
So I thought I'd mention the Charity Navigator, a service I learned about last January. Charity Navigator, itself a charitable organization, is kind of like a consumer reports for public charities. Because charitable scams are an unfortunately common side effect of disaster, it helps to know more about where your contributions are going.
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