As I am sure you are aware, several MAPPS member firms along the Gulf Coast were severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina. While we have all watched the plight of many of the residents of New Orleans on television with horror, we must be reminded that there are literally scores of employees of MAPPS member firms who are now homeless, or whose homes were severely damaged and are presently uninhabitable. It will take time and money for these individuals to get back to work and back to their homes.
MAPPS has always been considered a “family”. Those who regularly attend MAPPS conferences know this well.
When our family hurts, so do we. When our family needs help, we want to help.
To meet this need, MAPPS has set up a Katrina Relief Fund. The Fund will be administered by the Institute for GIS Studies (IGISS) and its Foundation. As you may know, IGISS, which is chaired by Susan Marlow, a MAPPS member firm principal, is a major participant in the Labor Department’s geospatial workforce development initiative, and a recipient of a Federal grant to train new geospatial workers. Shawana Johnson (also a MAPPS member) and I serve on the IGISS Board of Directors.
The Fund will accept contributions, and the IGISS Board will administer and distribute funds to individual employees of MAPPS member firms who are homeless or displaced due to the hurricane. These funds will be distributed to individuals and their families to help them with living expenses in their transition back to a permanent home. No funds will go directly to any firm.
All administrative costs of this fund are being provided pro bono. 100% of the monies collected will go to employees’ families of MAPPS member firms. A full accounting of all funds received and dispersed will be available upon request.
The IGISS Foundation and the MAPPS Katrina Relief Fund are a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit entity, fully registered with the Internal Revenue Service. All contributions are fully tax deductible as charitable contributions.
To help our MAPPS families, please send your check (payable to The IGISS Foundation) to:
The IGISS Foundation
357 Riverside Drive, Suite 100
Franklin, Tennessee 37064
Note in the check’s memo section: MAPPS Katrina Relief Fund.
We are establishing special levels of giving in our fundraising campaign, in order to give recognition to donors at upcoming MAPPS conferences. The levels to be recognized are:
Individual Donor Levels:
Category III – $ 250
Category IV – $ 500
Category V – $ 1,000
Corporate Donor Levels:
Category III – $ 1,000
Category IV – $ 5,000
Category V – $10,000
To pledge your support, please indicate your contribution level by return email or call me at your earliest convenience.
Thank you in advance for your humanity and generosity in this time of need.