Monday, July 21, 2008

Riding for A Cause

My church supports a ministry that helps kids get their lives together through the Christian Faith. It is called the Christian Encounter Ministry Ranch. It is a place where the kids live and go to school in a healthy environment.
They accept Kids who can or cannot pay the full tuition. Therefore, they must raise the money through fundraisers.
The Agony Ride is the biggest fundraiser.
The goal: People Bike, people pledge money.
This is a 24 hour bike ride. Riders go the furthest they can in that time. I will try for 100 miles. I may not make it, I may make more.
The ride is an amazing ministry of its own. It brings a lot of people together, and it shows the young people that people really do care about them. The agony ride takes place at and near Loyalton, CA. Luckily, it is a flat location with not too many hills. There are riders there, and a whole bunch of support people there too. The support people feed, water, comfort, and cheer the riders.
Please visit the CEM's website for more information.
On Friday, Saturday, and perhaps part of Sunday, I will be in agony!!
If you would like to sponsor me, please email me at bradly4jc@hotmail.com. Thank you!!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Fire Relief Donations; Where do we go from here ?

It has been a rough month for the Northern California area. There were tremendous amounts of acreage burnt. 50 or so Homes were lost in the Camp fire, and about 70 homes were lost in the Humbolt/Palermo fires. All of these people are friends and neighbors. One of our citizens lost their life in the fire, and one of our Firefighters lost their life during this terrible time.

It is important that we rally around our friends and family to help them as much as we can.
There are several ways to do this.

1. Be a friend. Some people are grieving the loss of their possessions. Although it is not the ultimate loss, it can be a emotional and trying time. Please take time to listen to your friends.

2. Donate to Charities. The Red Cross, and the Salvation Army are great places to begin. The following is from the Chico Enterprise Record. A link to their site is here:

This is not a complete list. I have not verified the organizations here. It is important to give to charities you feel comfortable about!

American Red Cross: Checks can be made to American Red Cross, and mailed to 1398 Ridgewood Drive, Chico, CA, 95973. Credit card donations can also be made by calling the Chico office at 891-0885.

Salvation Army: Donations are being taken by the Salvation Army inside the Family Resource Center, 6449 Skyway, Paradise. The center is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Wednesday. 872-1534. In Chico, the Salvation Army at 700 Broadway is a drop-off point for money and items. 342-2199.

Checks can be mailed to the nonprofit North Valley Community Foundation in Chico. Donors can choose to contribute to Humboldt Fire Victims' Fund for victims, Humboldt Fire Disaster Response Fund for nonprofits responding to fire; and the North Valley Animal Disaster Group Fund for that organization. Checks can be sent directly to NVCF, 3120 Cohasset Road Suite 8, Chico, CA, 95973, charged by credit card online at www.nvcf.org or call 891-1150.

North Valley Animal Disaster Group, P.O. Box 441, Chico, CA, 95927, 895-0000.

The nonprofit Paradise Disaster Relief Fund is accepting donations to support fire victims and disaster response organizations. Check should be made out to Paradise Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund, and can be mailed to P.O. Box 2095, Paradise, CA, 95967 or dropped off at the Paradise Community Foundation, 6249 Skyway. 876-8033 or www.paradisecommunityfoundation.com

Clothing, bedding pickup/donations

Furniture and household appliances are available through MacDonald Realty in Paradise. Call 877-0110 for pick-up or drop-off information.
The Salvation Army inside the Family Resource Center 6449 Skyway, Paradise, is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Wednesday. 872-1534. In Chico, the Salvation Army, 700 Broadway, is a drop-off point for money and items. 342-2199. For furniture donations, contact the Salvation Army truck pickup line at 342-2087.
The business is also offering free storage space to Ophir Fire victims. 533-9900.

Business services

Displaced customers should contact AT&T for information about services such as call forwarding, voice mail, message center, and the installation of a phone line free for 30 days. Information is available at 1-888-338-3291.
Allstate Insurance Corp. customers can defer insurance payments for 30 days. Customers should call 1-800-255-7828 or visit www.allstate.com
Customers of Tri Counties Bank or Butte Community Bank should contact their banks about deferring loan payments and emergency loans. Tri Counties, 1-800-922-8742. Butte, 1-888-842-8883.

Youth programs

Children from 5 to 12 years old from families affected by the Paradise and Oroville fires can attend the Oroville YMCA day camp. Contact Celeste Silva, 533-9622.

Fraud

The most common fraud that occurs in the aftermath of a disaster involved price gouging, offers of debris removal, and charitable solicitations.
Property owners are warned about unlicensed building contractors who may be approaching homeowners about repair and rebuilding work. If the job is over $500, the contractor must be licensed. The Butte County District Attorney's office has a hotline number for reporting fraud: 1-866-323-7283 or on the Web site www.buttecounty.net/da
In addition, the California State Contractors Licensing Board has a list of licensed contractors available at www.cslb.ca.gov or 1-800-321-2752. It is also taking complaints about possible fraud.
Also, the California Department of Insurance is taking complaints regarding insurance claims and fraud at 1-800-927-4357.

You should also check with your congregation about donating.

Again, this list is far from complete. I have not verified all these programs. It is important to give to charities you feel comfortable about giving to!!!

3. Go to your friends and help them out directly. You can either help them with daily chores, or provide them with meals. I would not recommend that you help with clean up, but if you decide to help clean up, Do only the work you can do. There are a lot of hazardous debris in the homes and in the ashes, so be careful, and when in doubt, call in a professional.

4. Prayer works. If you feel inclined to, give out a little prayer for the citizens of the areas affected.