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Opportunities to help hurricane victims abound

A rundown of local relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims offers plenty of ways to help. Take your pick: Basalt resident Carol Fuller is collecting donations for hurricane evacuees beginning today, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the Midland Avenue Depot (Phillips 66) parking lot across from Town Hall in Basalt. Donations, including the following items, can be dropped off until the truck is full: canned food, nonperishable food, energy bars, beef jerky, clothing in good shape, diapers, cleaning supplies, toiletries, blankets, canned dog and cat food and cat litter. If you’d like to volunteer or have questions, call Fuller at 927-2637. New Orleans residents displaced by the hurricane and now living in Aspen are selling New Orleans Jazz Fest strawberry lemonade at the Aspen Saturday Market to raise money for their less-fortunate neighbors. The city of Aspen and Pitkin County are hosting a resource coordination meeting from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Council chambers at Aspen City Hall. Individuals, businesses and organizations with resources of any kind (jobs, housing, food supplies, medical assistance, heavy equipment, trucks) may attend to identify these resources to others. R.S.V.P. by Monday to 920-5079. The city’s contact for its involvement in hurricane relief efforts is Linda Gerdenich, who can be contacted at 920-5082, 274-2478 (please note corrected phone number) or lindage@ci.aspen.co.us.Also, Mayor Helen Klanderud has decreed Sept. 11-17 as Aspen Hurricane Relief Week because of the numerous relief efforts and special fund-raising events in the area next week. The Dogwood Grill and Aspen Valley Hurricane Relief Fund are having a cocktail party and silent auction from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Dogwood Grill in Basalt for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Tickets are $50 at the door. All proceeds will be donated to the Bush/Clinton Hurricane Fund. For More information, contact David Rittvo (a New Orleans native) at 963-9418 or Susan Koch at 927-4000. Woody Creek residents Sam and Noelle LeBlanc, who are from New Orleans, want to help the hurricane victims. They have room in their home, and are open to other opportunities. They can be reached at 923-3721. The Aspen Community Foundation has established a special disaster relief fund called Community to Community (now helping those impacted by Hurricane Katrina), which simplifies donor giving and ensures that funds raised go directly to those in need. ACF is working with other community foundations, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation in particular, to identify needs and the local nonprofits addressing them. Donations will be forwarded according to needs and specific donor requests. It has also compiled a list of other options for helping hurricane victims. Call 925-9300 or e-mail Sharyn@aspencommunityfoundation.org for information. Local nonprofit Aspen Youth Experience has established the AYE Crisis Relief Fund, a financial fund to assist its seven youth alumni affected by Hurricane Katrina. Those who have hosted or mentored an AYE youth or feel a personal commitment to contribute should contact AYE at 925-6671. Contributions may be made by check payable to: Aspen Youth Experience (write Crisis Fund in the memo line), 110 E. Hallam St., Suite 133, Aspen, CO 81611, via credit card by calling 925-6671, or online at http://www.ayexp.org. The Thrift Shop of Aspen is donating clothing to evacuees from Louisiana. Thrift Shop volunteers would like to remind the community that clothing donations should be sorted carefully before dropping them off. It helps if they are placed in plastic bags and labeled, for example, “ladies dresses.” The less sorting required by relief workers allows a quicker delivery to those in need. Call 925-3121 with questions. Colorado Mountain College has made 57 slots available for students affected by the hurricane who choose to attend its Spring Valley (between Glenwood Springs and Leadville) or Timberline (Leadville) campuses. Katrina victims will be charged at the in-state tuition rate and subsidized. The college has registered its resources (including room availability) through the National Emergency Resource Registry found at http://www.fema.org. For more information, call Debbie Novak at (800) 621-8559.Information on hurricane relief opportunities can be sent to Catherine at cathlutz@aspentimes.com, 925-9156 (fax) or 925-3414, ext. 234.