September 4, 2005

An open letter to all dancers worldwide:

By now we have all seen the devastation left in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Thousands of people along the Gulf Coast have been left homeless. These people need shelter, food, and clothing.

It is time for square dancers world wide to unite. Together, we can make a difference. Over the years, square dancers have shown themselves to be some of the most caring people in the world. There is not time to establish a new non-profit corporation for square dancers to donate to, so Grand Square Inc., a US 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation, has volunteered to funnel the monies collected. Make your checks out to Grand Square Inc., and CLEARLY mark on the check that the money is to be earmarked for the Square Dancers for Katrina Fund. All donations are 100% tax deductible and ALL of the monies collected will be hand-delivered to the appropriate charitable organization(s). If you like, you can donate using VISA, MASTERCARD, or PayPal via our secure website - http://www.squaredancers4katrina.org/. Make your tax deductible check to:

GSI
Dancers for Hurricane Katrina Fund
1100 East Morehead Street, Suite 100
Charlotte, NC 28204

The Curlee family (founders of GSI) has donated warehouse space in Charlotte to house all the supplies that we collect. Area Charlotte dancers will provide the manpower to organize everything (handling the warehouse, loading trucks, etc.). If you would like to send packages, you may use the above address as well. Some (not all) of the needed supplies include the following:

• School Supplies
• Building Supplies
• Clothing
• Medical Supplies - SEALED (Bandages, Aspirin, etc)
• Non Perishable Food
• Housing Supplies (Toilet Tissue, Paper towels, Cloth Towels, etc.)
• Children Supplies (disposal diapers, toys, etc.)

TIME IS CRITICAL. Our goal is to send a check and truckloads of supplies to the affected areas on October 3, 2005. We will be in contact with FEMA to find out exactly where to deliver everything, and to determine what organization(s) to give the monies collected. Our goal is to send at least one semi-truck full of supplies and to hand over a check for ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

We will be updating the website - http://www.squaredancers4katrina.org/ - on a daily basis to keep everyone abreast of our progress. Please check the site often. We need to get the word out quickly to as many square dancers worldwide as we possible can. If you have a website, please post a prominent link to ours on your page. If possible, send this letter out to any friends you have on the internet.

Many of you have already donated to local charities for this same purpose. However, if we, as a square dance community, can come together for the good of all, look at the impact that this may have. Imagine if we can actually write a check for a million dollars….. Surely it will be picked up by CNN or one (maybe all) of the major TV networks. Finally, square dancing can be shown in a positive light to a worldwide audience. It is truly a “win-win” situation. We will be doing a wonderful civic deed for people desperately needing assistance, and just MAYBE we’ll get some coverage for it as well.

Some fund raising ideas:

• Special fund raising dance – Admission could be money or some type of supplies
• Donate the proceeds of a regular club dance
• Collect money at all of your club dances from now until October 1
• Solicit money (supplies) from your area business
• Contact your local or state dance/caller association for a donation
• Sponsor a club Yard Sale
• Or you can come up with some of your own……

Our goal is to raise one million dollars in 30 days. Let’s show the world that square dancers, in addition to being the nicest people in the world, are also the most giving.

If you have any further questions, please email us at info@squaredancers4katrina.org. We will keep you updated via the website. We thank you in advance,

Tony Oxendine
Grand Square Inc.