Ad Council joins Initiative Media in Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts - Laurie Keith

Like many New Yorkers I was affected by Hurricane Sandy when the surge hit on 10292012 I live in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and lost power and heat for 5 days My neighborhood was a ghost town amp8211 there were no lights few people and everything was shut down Upper Manhattan WAS not impacted by the storm amp8211 electricity was running heat was on and restaurants were open Thankfully my friend39s parents live on the Upper West Side and they graciously took me in the night after the storm I was feeling emotional and displaced when I arrived This was the first I saw the news coverage on TV and I couldn39t believe it I knew it was going to be a bad storm but I had no idea the damage would be as horrific as it was People had lost their homes and their lives were turned upside down I started seeing pictures on Twitter and Facebook amp8211 homes completely destroyed in Staten Island Breezy Point Long Beach Rockaway Atlantic City and many others The stories were heartbreaking I immediately felt guilty for thinking my situation was bad and felt compelled to volunteerI had the opportunity to speak to Kris Magel Executive Vice President Director of National Broadcast at Initiative Media who spoke to me about the newly developed quotNew York Media Caresquot amp8211 a challenge to New York39s media industry to help those hit by Hurricane Sandy by using their hands not just their checkbook The Ad Council39s media team joined Initiative in this volunteer effort a month after the storm on 1129 About 20 volunteers went to Staten Island to distribute donated items to countless homes I was so grateful to have the opportunity to join other media professionals and help those in need I39ve volunteered many times in my life for different social issues and organizations However this was the first time I39ve volunteered as part of a relief effort I don39t think anything could have prepared me for what I sawOur volunteer effort was organized by Mike quotLocoquot Hoffman the area39s block coordinator Mike was leading the operation which was overseen by Congressman Michael Grimm39s office in Staten Island We were each assigned different tasks Some people were sent to sites that needed demolition work and other people were sent to canvas areas affected by the storm Mike broke us up into teams assigned us specific addresses and sent us on our wayI was part of the canvasing team and my colleague Janet and I were assigned a couple streets to survey We were given a notepad and a pen and were told to ask residents specific questions such as quotDo you have power heat running waterquot and quotAre you in need of supplies such as food clothing cleaning supplies etcquot Seeing the hurricane damage in person made it that much more real and I was shocked by what these homes looked like Refrigerators and stoves were upside down and furniture and personal belongings were strewn everywhere A couple houses were lifted completely off their foundation One of the homes had a candlelight vigil amp8211 the owner and his dog had drowned in their house during the stormI realized very quickly that a lot of these people just wanted comfort and someone to talk to One story in particular that truly impacted me was that of Brett Gordon39s Brett39s home was completely flooded when the storm surge hit and everything inside was destroyed He lived in the home for 5 years with his wife and two daughters Brett a bluecollar American worker whose parents immigrated to the US from Sicily took such pride in his home Like all homes amp8211 there were so many wonderful memories that come with it Brett told us about his daughter39s birthday parties family gatherings holiday dinners and backyard barbequesDespite the damage you could tell it was once a home A cracked photo frame of their family was on the living room floor and dried flowers from his daughter39s communion were still intact He was very worried about the emotional damage and long term affects this experience would cause his children He also explained the tremendous financial burden he now faces He is now paying double in living expenses amp8211 mortgage on his uninhabitable Staten Island home as well as rent in Brooklyn where his daughters were assigned a school I couldn39t help but feel for Brett and wanted to help himThe next day I decided to post Brett39s story on Facebook to see if I could generate buzz and inspire others to take action Within hours I had several people messaging me asking how they could help I love the power of social media One friend in particular Allison LePage works at The Corporation for National and Community Service CNCS in Washington DC CNCS is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its programs and leads President Obama39s national calltoservice initiative CNCS has specially trained AmeriCorps members hard at work in several states providing skilled manpower and managing thousands of volunteers Within 2 hours of my post Allison was able to connect with the Disaster Service Unit and provide Brett with a single contact to help his family with all of their needs Allison and I have also set up a donation site for Brett39s family to offset the many costs he has right now amp8211 especially during this holiday season We are hoping with the money raised Brett will be able to purchase some of the items they lost in the stormThe Ad Council distributed a Hurricane Sandy PSA shortly after the disaster which encourages people to support the relief effort by giving to the many organizations listed on our calltoaction website To view the PSA click here Through my career at the Ad Council I39m able to make a difference every day in lives of many Americans by securing donated media from my media contacts Volunteering in Staten Island a couple weeks ago reminded me how grateful I am to be working at the Ad Council and doing the important work that we39re doing Our PSAs bring issues to the public and inspire people to make a decision whether it39s to raise awareness donate or volunteer There are millions of people that see our PSAs and are inspired to take action Because I39m not personally involved I don39t always get to see the direct impact Speaking to Brett made me realize just how significant our PSAs are and that these impactful moments are happening ALL the time all across the countryLaurie KeithAs Director of National Accounts at the Ad Council Laurie is responsible for building partnerships and securing donated media space from 100 accounts including AE Networks Comcast Conde Nast Publications Screenvision Time Warner Cable and Viacom Networks Laurie also manages the NY and Northern NJ markets coordinating with the local media outlets on issues affecting their communities Whether itamp8217s national or local Laurieamp8217s goal is to inspire her media contacts to donate their space to and raise awareness on The Ad Councilamp8217s worthy and lifechanging causesAd CouncilThe Ad Council is a private nonprofit organization that marshals volunteer talent from the advertising and communications industries the facilities of the media and the resources of the business and nonprofit communities to deliver critical messages to the American public The Ad Council produces distributes and promotes public service campaigns on behalf of nonprofit organizations and government agencies in issue areas such as improving the quality of life for children preventive health education community well being and strengthening familiesThe Ad Council has endeavored to improve the lives of all Americans since first creating the category of public service advertising in 1942 Ad Council icons and slogans are woven into the very fabric of American culture From our earliest efforts including quotLoose Lips Sink Shipsquot and Smokey Bear39s quotOnly You Can Prevent Forest Firesquot to the iconic amp8220Friends Donamp8217t Let Friends Drive Drunkamp8221 and of course quotA Mind is a Terrible Thing To Wastequot Ad Council PSAs have been raising awareness inspiring action and saving lives for more than 70 years

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Ad Council joins Initiative Media in Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts - Laurie Keith

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Ad Council joins Initiative Media in Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts - Laurie Keith

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