Volunteering

If you've been wondering whether there are going to be volunteer opportunities down South, apparently they are, but right now they are going to need people who can make commitments of more than a few days. I imagine there may be specific projects way in the future that can use shorter-term volunteers. Here's an e-mail I got:

Hands On Network is supporting recovery efforts of The Red Cross by organizing and deploying coordinated volunteer teams of 25 or greater to serve in immediate disaster response efforts at the Volunteer Operations Center in Montgomery, AL. There are literally tens of thousands of people in need of immediate first aid, shelter, food and water. The Red Cross has set up operations centers in Montgomery, AL and Baton Rouge, LA to coordinate all volunteer response efforts and deploy volunteer groups to the areas in most need of immediate assistance. Volunteers will be used to perform a variety of functions to provide immediate basic needs and services to displaced individuals and families. Specifically, volunteers will to help erect temporary shelters (tent cities) and organize support services (serving food, administering first aid, dispensing water, providing comfort, etc.). Volunteer Eligibility --Seven-day Commitment, Minimum: Volunteers can only be accepted if they are able to serve at least a seven-day shift...

Also, I got an e-mail from the University of Pennsylvania saying that they will offer classes to kids who live in Philly and go to college in the NO area for the fall semester. Additionally, staff can get up to three weeks off, paid, to help with the relief effort.