When he heard about that the disaster had struck on Dec. 26, Jackson attorney Taylor Ferrell made an phone call to Chennai, one of the devastated cities in southern India. After volunteering as an English teacher at an orphanage there for three weeks, he had left on Christmas, the day before the tsunami gushed through the city's coastal areas. Ferrell made contact with those he had worked with and was assured that all the children and other volunteers were just fine.

Still, with memories of the region fresh in his mind, Taylor Ferrell had an idea. "I wanted to help the people I got to know and helped and respected," he said. He was inspired to help organize a benefit at George Street Grocery on Monday, Jan. 17. Two percent of George Street's sales that day will go to Oxfam.

That event will take place five days after the JFP-Collective tsunami benefit on Wednesday, Jan. 12, at the Red Room with donations and proceeds from an art auction going to Oxfam. Rainbow Whole Foods is holding a Drum Circle and Dance Improv Tsunami Benefit on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

Natural disasters are nothing new for those nations affected by the tsunami. But the sheer scope of the disaster, stretching from the island of Sumatra in Indonesia to the shores of the East African coast, is astounding to even the most expert oceanographers. For Mississippians with loved ones in affected regions, like myself, the days after Christmas were spent making long-distance calls and keeping eyes peeled to our television sets for new information.

One concern with large-scale relief efforts is the incidence of bogus charities exploiting the spirit of generosity. The Mississippi Secretary of State's office has useful links on its Web site (http://www.sos.state.ms.us/) for those who plan to donate to local organizations involved with the tsunami relief. In addition, Art Taylor of the Mississippi Better Business Bureau advises potential donors to "make certain that the charity is properly registered with the appropriate state government agencies, that it describes exactly what it will do to address the needs of victims, and that it is willing to provide written information about its finances and programs.
—Swetha Regunathan

Jackson Tsunami Benefits

Wednesday, Jan. 12, 6 p.m.: The Jackson Free Press, in partnership with The Collective and Rock 93.9, is presenting an 18-and-up benefit in the Red Room at Hal and Mal's (200 S. Commerce St.) with Living Better Electrically, King Elementary, The Vamps, *seven with eZra, Still Stanley, Eric Stracener, Laurel Isbister, satirist Ken Stiggers and spoken-word poets. There will be a silent art auction. The cover is a minimum $5 donation; $10 to qualify for door prizes from local businesses. Call 362-6121 or 948-0888. Visit http://www.jacksonfreepress.com for the schedule.

Update: The JFP/Collective benefit was a raging success, raising $4,311 for Oxfam.

Monday, Jan. 17, 6 p.m. – George Street Grocery (416 George Street) is hosting a benefit with the bands DayBreakDown, Kool Filter Kings, Braden Land and Tony & Faye Santangelo. $10 donation. Have lunch there, too, on Monday: 2 percent of all sales that day go to Oxfam.

Tuesday, Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m. – Rainbow Whole Foods (2807 Old Canton Road) holds a drum circle and dance improvisational drum circle benefit. 7:30 p.m. Observers or participants welcome. $5 minimum donation. Call 366-1602.

E-mail details on other tsunami benefits to [e-mail missing]

Previous Comments

ID

64351

Comment

BTW, we found out after we went to press that the Planet Weekly has signed onto the George Street event as a sponsor. Please support that event, as well as the Rainbow event Tuesday night. The more money we can raise, the better!

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-01-14T12:07:26-06:00