Champagne breakfast

Organisers of this morning's champagne breakfast are hoping to raise $5,000 for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The fundraiser will take place on the rooftop garden of Centre Solutions (Bermuda) and the offices of Miles Market at the waterfront on Pitts Bay Road.

Rallying around the Katrina cause are Butterfield and Vallis, the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and Zurich companies.

Residents have so far donated $136,069 to the Hurricane Katrina Appeal of the Bermuda Red Cross.

That total doesn't include a $22,510.12 donation from Butterfield Bank earlier this week.

Southampton Glebe Primary School students raised $816 for Katrina victims and one student, Kimika Jackson, donated all the money given to her for her birthday.

The Red Cross also said that $65,858.31 has been raised so far for the West Africa Crisis Appeal.

Jamaican Association picnic raises $1,250

The Jamaican Association will donate part of the proceeds of its recent community picnic to the Salvation Army for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The event, which was held earlier this month, raised $1,250 and $1,000 will be earmarked for the relief effort.

The association sent over $14,000 to victims of Hurricane Ivan last year.

Flying to the aid of hurricane victims

With just two days notice, the Salvation Army put together a ten-member team to fly to Louisiana to help those left homeless by Hurricane Katrina.

Major Lindsay Rowe was at Bermuda International Airport yesterday to see the team off and said seven of them would be travelling to Laplace, about 30 miles north of New Orleans.

This town, with a population of 27,500, was hard hit by Katrina.

Travelling to Laplace are Major Alfred Wilson, Captain Patrick Bulloch, Carol McDowell, Dean Foggo, Angela Fubler, Delano Ingham and Barbara Millett.

Three others, Cheryl Jones, Geraldine Lambert and Major Clarence Ingram, will travel to the Incident Command Headquarters in Jackson, Louisiana where they will work in the Salvation Army's administration offices.

The Laplace group will work 12-hour shifts for two weeks, supplying vital services to residents at shelters in the area.

While apprehensive about what they will encounter once they arrive in Louisiana, they were eager to help.

Mr. Foggo, a St. George's MP, said that he felt he had to do his part.

"It's easy enough to donate money, but when I saw the opportunity to personally do something, I jumped at the chance," he said.

Mr. Ingham said his background in the Bermuda Regiment would come in handy.

"I've dealt with this type of thing and I know what to do," he said.

Major Rowe said he hoped to make the trip with a second team soon.

Parks Department join in fund-raising effort

One of the milk cartons used to collect donations on restaurant tables found its way onto a desk in the Parks Department office this month.

The carton was adopted by staff members after Parks Department employee Nelson Pimentel saw one on his table while dining in a restaurant. When he asked why it was empty, the restaurant explained that it was part of a fundraising project to raise money for Katrina relief efforts.

The project was the brainchild of Ian Friedman, executive chef at Cafe Cairo, who wanted his patrons to have an easy way of donating. Mr. Pimentel liked the idea so much that he asked Mr. Friedman if he could take one to his office.

As a result the Parks Department raised $460 and handed it to Mr. Friedman. The funds will now be sent to the American Red Cross.

Mr. Pimentel said that the "staff have come together and worked for a common cause", proving that employees can step beyond the bounds of their day-to-day routine and create a force for good.