FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2005
REVISION
Contact:
Dagonet Dewr, Executive Director

PAGAN PRIDE PROJECT TO COLLECT FOR KATRINA VICTIMS

In response to the devastation inflicted on Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and other states in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Pagan Pride Project will encourage Pagan Pride events worldwide to collect money for disaster relief. As part of the "Mardi Gras In September" campaign, Pride events are encouraged to do any or all of the following initiatives to help Katrina's victims:

1) Put out donations jars for the American Red Cross, Avalon Cares, the AODA, or some other organization collecting for hurricane relief;
2) Offer Mardi Gras beads for a donation to the agencies above;
3) or hold "Mardi Gras In September" fundraisers to collect money.

"In many ways, New Orleans and Mardi Gras are the closest that Americans have to a true Pagan festival, and when you combine that with the suffering over so many other locations, it seems only appropriate that we step up at this time and do what we can," says Pagan Pride Project Executive Director Dagonet Dewr. "Differences in faith, creed, race, sexuality, and social class are swept away when most people have only the clothes on their back." Over the last eight years, Pagan Pride events worldwide have collected almost $80,000 and over thirty tons of food and goods for food banks, shelters, and local charities. For the Katrina effort, the Pagan Pride Project is asking for monetary donations only, respecting the wishes of the Red Cross and other hurricane relief agencies.

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