<sh>Jazz Festival to Benefit New Orleans
<bt>The 15th Annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival, set for Sept. 10, will now benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The festival will be held at Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Highway from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. with free admission. The performers include Robert Jospe and Inner Rhythm, 1 to 2 p.m.; sax/flute player James Modday, 2:20 to 3:40 p.m.; five-time Grammy nominated vocalist Nnenna Freelon, 4 to 5:20 p.m. and pianist Ahmad Jamal, 5:40 to 7 p.m.
Food from local restaurants will be available for sale, and the festival will be broadcast live by jazz station WPFW 89.3 FM and will
be held rain or shine. The event is co-sponsored by the Rosslyn Business Improvement District (B.I.D.), in conjunction with the Rosslyn Renaissance and Arlington County.
Festival organizers will donate 100% of the proceeds from the sale of beer and festival t-shirts to assist victims of hurricane Katrina in the nation's devastated Gulf Coast region — the 'motherland of Jazz and Blues music.'
For more information, call 703-228-1850. Information also on the County website, www.arlingtonva.us; click on "Calendar" at the top.
<sh>Fourth Annual First Responders Cup
<bt>This year organizers of the First Responders Cup have decided that all net proceeds will benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina; traditionally funds are donated to Pentagon Disaster Relief charities.
The tournament is held on Sept. 16 to 18 at Virginia Highlands Park, 1600 South Hayes Street. Admission is free.
The First Responders Cup Tournament is a girls' fast-pitch softball tournament held annually to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001, and to celebrate the heroism of the Arlington Fire and Police who were the first at the Pentagon. This year, the Arlington Fire Department will be hosting the Youth Burn Victims at the Tournament.
The Arlington Fire Department is also offering a challenge to First
Responders from New York and Pennsylvania to participate in a slow-pitch softball game as part of the tournament festivities.
For more information, contact George Barusso, gbarusso@arlingtonva.us. Information also on the County website, www.arlingtonva.us; click on "Calendar" at the top.
<sh>Housing Victims of Hurricane Katrina
<bt>For those who have expressed interest in housing Katrina evacuees, the Virginia Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) is taking the lead in coordinating housing for flood victims. VOAD is a consortium of faith-based organizations. Locally, you can contact:
Northern Virginia VOAD, Trish Redmond, 703.369.5292, ext. 24, tredmond@volunteerprincewilliam.org
Diocese of Arlington, Liz Wellborn, 703.385.9847,
jimeliz@earthlink.net
Episcopal Church, Diocese of Virginia, Rev. Pete Gustin,
703.434,4152, peteg01@direcway.com
Presbyterian Church, Lee Watenpaugh, 703.680.1164,
rlwatenp@comcast.net
Federation of Virginia Food Bank, 703.924.4064, fedvafb@verizon.net
Faith-based organizations wishing to coordinate housing for flood
victims can contact the Virginia Department of Social Services hotline, 1-800-777-8293. Individuals should work through their own faith-based organization or one of the above VOAD groups. You can find more information on Virginia efforts at www.vaemergency.com and at the Virginia Public
Inquiry Center, 1-8668804288.
<sh>Arlington Forrest Neighbors Potluck
<bt>The cul-de-sac neighbors of the 5200 block of North First Street in Arlington are hosting a potluck fund-raiser for the Red Cross to assist the victims of Katrina on Friday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. Individuals are being asked to bring a dish and a check made out to the Red Cross. It will be an outdoor event, and many houses in the immediate area are participating. Some homes will have activities for children. RSVP to 703-351-0079.
<sh>Charities Needing funds
<bt>FEMA listed the following agencies as needing cash to assist hurricane victims:
* American Red Cross, 800-HELP-NOW (435-7669) English, 800-257-7575 Spanish
* America's Second Harvest, 800-344-8070
* Adventist Community Services, 800-381-7171
* Catholic Charities USA, 800-919-9338
* Christian Disaster Response, 941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554
* Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, 800-848-5818
* Church World Service, 800-297-1516
* Convoy of Hope, 417-823-8998
* Lutheran Disaster Response, 800-638-3522
* Mennonite Disaster Service, 717-859-2210
* Nazarene Disaster Response, 888-256-5886
* Operation Blessing, 800-436-6348
* Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, 800-872-3283
* Salvation Army, 800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)
* Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief, 800-462-8657, Ext. 6440
* United Methodist Committee on Relief, 800-554-8583
<sh>Finding Best Places to Give
<bt>These are two web sites in which you can find charities listed.
www.give.org – managed by the Better Business Bureau
www.guidestar.org – managed by Philanthropic Research