Email from Kimberly Davion:
Hi Rick! This is Kimberly Davion.
I wanted to share a story with you on a project that I have coordinated through a national handmade non-profit group. This Project is beginning to get the attention of several US media outlets. I have a phone interview tomorrow for a podcast with an Indiana newspaper. And I wanted to share the story with the local media outlets first. Since this project has blown up to epic proportions practically overnight!
So about my project. I was contacted through Craft Hope, a handmade non-profit organization, that I have been involved with on past donation projects. Jade Sims, the founder, of Craft Hope asked me if I would like to coordinate a project for Craft Hope that involved relief efforts for the Gulf Coast Oil Spill. I decided to step up to the challenge, and go for it. I felt as a Gulf local, as one small person, really what can I do? Little did I know that this small project would grow into something more.
I called and emailed around from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, to several marine/wildlife/environmental/water keeper non-profits to see who would be interested in accepting our handmade donations toward oil spill clean-up efforts. Of course, everyone is out of office, working in the field, trying to work on clean up this catastrophe! Luckily and immediately, The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies emailed me back with a response, desperately needing our donations. Shortly after their response, Jade and I posted this information of what is needed onto the Craft Hope website to aid in marine wildlife relief efforts.
And literally overnight, the response has been ten-fold of what we were expecting. I have volunteered to open up my home as the donation drop off site where people all over the United States and Internationally can ship their donations to, and I will personally be driving these donations, of towels and Dawn Soap, to IMMS.
We have had nearly well over 300 responses over the weekend, with multiple donations. A donation being a set of 10 or 20 hand towels or washrags and a bottle of Dawn Soap. We have been trying to keep a count but its looking like I could be receiving thousands of towels, rag and soap donations!! And rumour has it, it could get up to a million by July 3rd deadline!
And these donations are not only coming from all over the US, but also Internationally!! Here are but a few of the International countries, sending me donations: The Netherlands, South Africa, Germany, England, Canada, Spain, the Caribbean-St.Croix and more and more keep signing up everyday. It’s unbelievable! I may have to start searching
for a donation of semi transport, if the donation numbers continue to rise!
And I continue to update IMMS with donation details, and IMMS informed me that due to such an overwhelming donation response, they will be sharing the donations with the Audubon Institute and the MS Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge and other Gulf Coastal Wildlife Refuge’s that range all along the Gulf Coastal areas!
I had no idea of the response that was going to come from this. Not only that, but response from people who are not related to the Craft Hope Project, but locals, and groups from all over, that have heard about the project, that are sending me donations to send to IMMS and the other non-profits for them!
So you can see why suddenly this project is getting the attention of some media outlets. And so I wanted to share this with you – to see if I could share this project with local outlets and get the word out about a positive cause, unlike so many of the negative things we all hear about. That yes, One Person can stand up, organize with so many others out there, and make a positive step against all the negative odds that are stacked against us, each day as each gallon leaks out into our local waters.
All the Best,
– Kimberly Davion
Midnight Design Studios
Freelance Graphic Design • Photography • Mixed Media Art
midnightdesignstudio@gmail.com