What I Did For Thanksgiving . . . .

For Thanksgiving, we went to San Diego to visit family. While there, we spent a day working in the fire area helping families who were impacted during the recent wild fires. We met up with the same team (Camp Hope) I worked with during Katrina (photo, podcast). It was yet another humbling experience ….

At the base camp, a number of major corporations stepped up and helped including Tide (Tide's Load Of Hope). Families that are impacted can drop off their clothes and Tide will wash, dry and fold. You can't under estimate the impact of having clean clothes to help you get back into the regular rhythm of daily living and re-building.

My “day job” donated laptops with broadband access donated by Globcomm (thanks guys!!) to provide a cyber cafe for residents to sign-up for benefits, pay bills and stay in contact with loved ones. The Cyber Cafe has also been popular with state and local groups helping with the rebuilding.

The area (Ramona, CA) suffered the largest loss of homes (+400). The fire traveled up a creek bed (far right picture) and destroyed all of the homes that were along the creek. During my time with the group, we spent the day cutting up the frame left from a burnt-out trailer. The owner of the trailer we were working on, an 80 year old woman, was under insured, lost everything and has no ability to re-build.

Many believe the San Diego fires are over …. there not. There is a need for volunteers to help the people of Romona rebuild. If you want to volunteer, call 703-368-6286 and tell them Phil sent you …..

I will be back in San Diego the week between Christmas and New Years and I will be volunteering again. If you want to join me, drop me an email at podcast (at) killerinnovations (dot) com.

Articles on the San Diego fire and the volunteer work still going on there ….

Union Tribune: Fire Victims Can Find Food, Laundry on Church Grounds

Ramona Sentinel: CIA May Be Best Secret In Town