[StBernard] St. Bernard Get-Together

[Westley Annis]

Editors Note:  The attachment mentioned below was not sent with this email.
Will post to the web site later tonight. 

-----Original Message-----

Westley,
 
Things are lining up just fine for our first St. Bernard Get-Together in
Hammond.  As a previous letter to you stated, we are scheduled for Saturday,
November 26, the Saturday following Thanksgiving.  At this time, over forty
families have shown interest and it is estimated that over sixty people will
be attending.  The event is growing larger each day.
 
The Times Picayune photographer, Chuck Cook and writer Manuel Torres
notified me with an interest to write an article and hopefully their
schedules will allow them to attend.  One of the participants spoke with a
representative from the Ponchatoula Times and there is hope that this person
will attend as well.  Today, I received word that a representative from the
Hammond Daily Star will have a rep orter on site as well.  Things have not
slowed down either.
 
I have a call for a local funeral home to donate one of their tents that are
used at all of the fairs and festivals in the Tangipahoa Region and I am
awaiting their approval for it.  The Hammond Hospital, North Oaks, formally
7th Ward for those of you remember it many years ago, has agreed to place a
tent in the yard already.  As a matter of fact, the tent will be erected
three days prior to the event and take apart two days later, so they are
really cooperating.
 
Sunday, I spent a great deal of time in the Robert, LA area, seeking
assistance.  Finances in this area are rather tight right now, but I did get
permission to place fliers at the Robert Grocery, Mini's Restaurant,
Jellystone Campground and Hidden Oaks Campground.  The owners of Hidden Oaks
are waiting for the confirmation of another event and if the event does not
conflict with ours, they will allow us to use the pavillion there FREE in
the event of severe weather.
 
Now, taking all this into consideration, it appears with just the little
leg-work involved, the Tangipahoa Parish area has been quite receptive of
the residents from St. Bernard.  There will be more to come, as I venture
further out into the public requesting assistance.  There are barriers: we
are not an organized group, there is no federal tax i.d., therefore
donations of monetary value cannot be accepted and there are no funds for
advertisement.  Basically, this is a small operation with big plans.  
 
Tonight, a very dear friend of mine phoned me to inform me that his plans
had changed and he could not attend our event.  This upset me, but he gave
me so me information to chew on.  He told me that he heard from a friend
that there were people in this area that were meeting every Wednesday night,
specifically in the Hammond area.  If you or anyone else here knows of these
people, please let me know, for it would be great to get to them to inform
them of the event.  
 
I was amazed to see how many people are living in the campgrounds here in
the Robert area.  Many were forced to purchase their own housing due to the
storm, long before anything was received in Federal Disaster Funding.  Many
are commuting to placed of employment, some were not here originally and
have recently arrived and some were here from the very first day, but in any
event, they are tough.  They are not living the life of pleasure and have
fear, but a strong will in their eyes.
 
Westley, pleas e continue keeping us informed about the events in the
parish.  Please spread the word of the Get-Together and please remember that
our Parish was a great place, can still be a great place and that the people
who made it, no matter where they are, are great people.
 
Attached is a flier that is currently being passed out to various businesses
in the Hammond area.  I will ask that you allow it to be viewed on your
site.  Addtionally, should any Council Members, Legislatures, or Movers and
Shakers from our parish read this message, please voice your desire to
attend the function.  You may have strong contributions to share with us.
 
The group page that has been established for this event is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stbernardtangiresidents/ and I strongly
encourage residents from St. Bernard, whether in the Tangipahoa area or not,
to join.  I did not form this site to compete with other sites, I will not
post information other than the Get-Together and would hope that this is
understood as a social page and not one with an agenda.
 
Thanking you in  advance, and once again, reminding you of the desire to
meet with residents in Hammond, should you hear anything, let me know.
 
charlie