Looking for Meaning.....

What about the Red Cross? Or is that religous based as well??? I was a volunteer firefighter for years and the Red Cross was always on the scene when people were burned out of a home. I know it's not grand scale disaster relief but you got to start somewhere!

As odd as this is going to sound to you... I do not support the Red Cross. They gave my great uncle bad blood about 10 years ago, called him a year later to tell him, and pretty much left him to die of AIDS. They didn't give him any financial help or even so much as an apology. We had a website up www.navta.org, but unfortunatly, the lady that was heading all of it retired last month.
My uncle fought in WWII, loved his country, and was given HIV infected blood at the age of 65. He died 2 years ago because of it and now my aunt is having to live in a retirement home (not a very good one) b/c there was no money left for her after the medical expenses, etc...
Anyway...that's why I won't help out the Red Cross. Thanks for the advice though! =)

okie dokie, sorry about that.

I think most disaster relief organizations are religious simply because they get their money from donations, most people donate through their respective religions. (Aetheists don't meet every Sunday and pass the collection plate!)

What about FEMA?

Fema looks good....Just can't figure out how to get on the disaster relief side of things.

Or maybe these...

HOW TO HELP:
Action Against Hunger, 247 West 37th Street, Suite 1201, New York, NY 10018, 212-967-7800, http://www.aah-usa.org 

American Jewish World Service 45 West 36th Street, 10th Floor New York, NY 10018, 800-889-7146, http://www.ajws.org

ADRA International, 9-11 Fund, 12501 Old Columbus Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904, 800-424-2372, http://www.adra.org

American Friends Service Committee (AFSC Crisis Fund) 1501 Cherry Street Philadelphia, PA., 215-241-7000, http://www.afsc.org

American Red Cross International Response Fund PO Box 37243 Washington, DC 20013 800-HELP NOW, http://www.redcross.org

Catholic Relief Services PO Box 17090 Baltimore, MD 21203-7090, 800-736-3467, http://www.catholicrelief.org

Direct Relief International, 27 South La Patera Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93117, 805-964-4767, http://www.directrelief.org

Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres, PO Box 2247, New York, NY 10116-2247, 888-392-0392, http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

International Medical Corps, 11500 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 506, Los Angeles, CA 90064, 800-481-4462, http://www.imcworldwide.org

International Orthodox Christian Charities Middle East Crisis Response PO Box 630225 Baltimore, MD 21263-0225, 877-803-4622, http://www.iocc.org

Mercy Corps, PO Box 2669, Portland, OR 97208, 800-852-2100, http://www.mercycorps.org

Prime Minister's National Relief Fund -- India, Prime Minister's Office, South Block, New Delhi -- 110001, India. http://pmindia.nic.in/relieffund.htm

Operation USA, 8320 Melrose Avenue, Ste. 200, Los Angeles, CA 90069, 800-678-7255, http://www.opusa.org

Save the Children Asia Earthquake/Tidal Wave Relief Fund, 54 Wilton Road Westport, CT, 06880, 800-728-3843, http://www.savethechildren.org

SAWSO (Salvation Army World Service Office), South Asia Relief Fund, 615 Slaters Lane, Alexandria, VA, 22313, 800-SAL-ARMY

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GET MORE INFORMATION
U.S. State Department

Thanks!

You know, you might want to look into Quaker organizations. I know it is religious, but liberal Quakers are an extremely open-minded set and I'm certain they would not require a certain set of beliefs from you (they do not even focus on dogma among their own followers). The AFSC that RgrBill listed is a Quaker organization. The "code words" you'll want to look for are Friends General Conference (which is specifically the most liberal kind of Quaker) and Religious Society of Friends (which is the big umbrella all Quakers fall under.... edit: actually I can't find the exact role here, but I think that's right).

I'm not actually a Quaker, so if I've got something confused, I apologize. And I'm not too familiar with anyone but the FGC Quakers, so I'm simply not certain if more conservative Quaker organizations would be accepting of non-Christians.

Edited by kimj81 2004-12-29 11:23 AM

Go to http://www.interaction.org/about and click on "members."  Interaction is an umbrella group of about 160 relief organizations.  Each of them is listed there with a link to their respective websites.  Interaction itself is advertising for postions as well.  I would also recommend that you look into employment with the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov  where, if you qualify, you can work at our embassies and consulates abroad as a Foreign Service Officer.  This is what I do and it affords oppportunties to work on all sorts of issues, including economic, political, consular, administrative, and cultural affairs, depending upon your interests.  This is not an easy field to break into, but stick with it. If you want something bad enough, you can make it happen.

Katie,On your search I would encourage you to do a little soul searching yourself. Why do you want to work for a disaster relief organization? Where does this desire come from? People don't work in disaster relief to get rich! You ask why are they all religious, they're not there's the UN (as far from religious as you can get in my opinion ) There's Peace Corps. there's all kinds of relief organizations you can work for.But please before you enter into it search your soul to determine why you want to do this. I don't want to be disengenious but the world is full of bright-eyed, idealists who float in and out of service to the poor for what I think are ego-manical selfish reasons and then go about their lives ignoring their neighbors, stepping on the homeless in their own cities to preserve their property rights and even failing to be kind to people who live in their immediate vicinity but want to travel half way around the world to help someone they've never met. I don't know if you're one of those folks since I don't know you but search inside to see if you are.I started my life of serving the poor in my neighborhood. Having slumber parties for girls who I knew didn't have enough to eat at home. Not because I was Mother Teresa mind you but because I had a mother who emphasized the point that all my accomplishments, all my good things, all the blessings that I have come not from my own doing but from the generosity and help of others who nurtured me including God. So it was easy to find my way into relief work with that attitude. I work in ministry not because I'm looking for meaning but because I know my meaning - I'm here to serve. In service there is greatness. I'm not perfect and God knows I slip and fall (hey a girl's gotta' be selfish sometime ) but I try to live my life with that attitude. I am blessed to be a blessing and if I'm not then I'm not doing my job here on earth. So that includes helping in my own backyard as well as half way around the world. Good luck sweetheart. I know you will find what you're looking for. Oh and get to know Jesus. He's a cool dude. Forget about religion, church etc. Start with his word, you might be surprised. Ovetta.

Your Red Cross story is saddening. Maybe you can change them from the inside-out?

http://www.peacecorps.gov

That's the one I'd do for my own selfish reasons.


Edited by ChuckyFinster 2004-12-29 12:34 PM

Peace Corps has been in the back of my mind since I first started college.....

Thanks!