Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact
Randi Ward
Rward@blacknla.com
www.blacknla.com

Over the past week, we have seen complete devastation on our homeland, and not enough being done. Most of us have not been able to tear ourselves away from the television stories and images of those whose lives are affected most by what can only be termed as "the worst natural disaster" in America's history.

We see images of our people dying, starving, and trying to cope. Stories of our elderly who are barely hanging on, but need to be around in order to provide us with OUR history. Sights of babies, dehydrated in dirty diapers, with mothers who are doing as best as possible to care over them. Yet we hear stories of how so many different things are being done to help our people out, and seeing nothing. Or what is being done, is happening so slowly that we can't help but cry because we feel as if we want to do something since no one else is.

Well BlackNLA.com is going to provide you with an opportunity to do more. If you would like to make a monetary contribution please visit our web-site, and click on the Red Cross of America link. If you would like to donate items, we are setting up drop-off locations where you can drop off any items, which you feel are needed. Some items we suggest are:

Non-perishable food Bottled Water Gatorade Toothbrushes & Toothpaste Diapers & Baby wipes Baby Formula & Bottles Toilet paper Clothes Bedding

Shoes Soap Combs Towels Air mattresses First Aid items (i.e. - bandaids, peroxide, etc.) Bleach Pet Food

At this time, the drop-locations are still being coordinated, however, at our After Work Mixer click here this Thursday, September 8th at Mr. Pockets Sports Bar & Grill, 516 N. Sepulveda Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, we will be accepting donations. So PLEASE go shopping, or empty your closets, shelves, and cabinets at home to contribute to a worthy cause. Please note that we will also be collecting monetary donations, which will be used to shop for items that are needed. For a full listing of the drop-off locations, please visit the web-site throughout the week for updated listings.

If you would like for your office to be a drop-off location, please contact Randi Ward at mailto:rward@blacknla.com immediately.

We are also issuing a challenge to all businesses in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. We are asking for every business to donate to the disaster relief efforts. These contributions can be made in either monetary donations or supplies and equipment. We, at BlackNLA.com, know that this may seem like a lot, but really it's only a lot to the survivors who have absolutely nothing.

So many of us have family and friends in the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama areas, which have been affected by Hurricane Katrina, and what feels like no way to reach them. Well, here is your chance. Please do your part to help, as we may need their help one day.

Thank you,

The BlackNLA.com Staff

P.S. - For those like me, who are wondering how much has been collected so far, and what different companies have contributed, below is a full breakdown as of Sept. 3, 2005.

Red Cross of America has collected $302 million

Some Monetary Donations

· Chevron: $5 million.
· J.P. Morgan Chase: $3 million.
· Citigroup: $3 million.
· Walt Disney Co.: $2.5 million.
· Pfizer: $2 million.
· Abbott Laboratories: $2 million.
· State Farm: $1 million.
· Johnson Controls Inc.: $1 million.
· Century Tel: $50,000
· Bank of America: $1 million
· Duke Indutries: $250,000
· Wachovia: $250,000
· Hy-Vee: $100,000
· Ipsco: $500,000
· Schnuck Markets: $1 million
· Coca-Cola: $5 million
· Freddie Mac: $10 million
· Marathon Oil: $1.5 million
· ExxonMobile: $7 million
· Toyota: $5 million
· Alcoa Industries: $220,000
· Deere & Co.: $500,000
· EDS: Will match employee contributions up to $1 million.
· S.C. Johnson & Son: Will match employee donations up to $10,000.
· JohnsonDiversey: Will match employee donations up to $10,000.
· Lowe's: Will match employee contributions up to $1 million.
· Verizon Communications: Will match employee contributions at $2 for every $1.
· Lowe's: Will match employee contributions at $2 for every $1.
· Kimberly-Clark: $250,000 and $350,000 in products
· Deere Harvester Credit Union: $6,850 from the pockets of employees
· Wells Fargo: $1 million and will march employee contributions

Health Care Donations
· Eli Lilly: 40,000 vials of refrigerated insulin.
· Wyeth: antibiotics and nonprescription pain relievers.
· Merck: antibiotics and hepatitis A vaccines.
· Johnson & Johnson: Pain relievers, wound care supplies and kits containing toothbrushes, soap and shampoo.
· Abbott Laboratories: At least $2 million in nutritional and medical products.

Some Other Donations
· Nissan: 50 trucks for Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
· General Motors: 150 cars and trucks to the Red Cross.
· Sprint Nextel: 3,000 walkie talkie-type phones for emergency personnel.
· Qwest Communications: 2,000 long-distance calling cards.
· Kellogg: Seven truckloads of crackers and cookies.
· Culligan International: Five truckloads of water.
· Anheuser-Busch: 2.5 million cans of water per week
· Office Depot: Contents of its five New Orleans stores, valued at $4 million.
· Miller Brewing: More than 80,000 32-ounce bottles of drinking water.
· S.C. Johnson & Son: 30,000 units of Off! insect repellent.
· JohnsonDiversey: 2,500 cases of cleaning and sanitation products.
· Spring Industries: comforters, sheets, blankets
· Duke Industries: 1,300 workers for relief efforts
· Food Lion: Trucks with food and water
· General Electric: Generators, trucks, trailers, modular space, medical equipment, water filtration
· Navistar International: Trucks to carry food, water, and other supplies

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