The City of Sun Valley is hoping citizens will follow its lead in providing relief funds for victims of the Dec. 26 Asian tsunami that has claimed at least 140,000 lives and left 1.5 million people homeless.
City leaders earlier this week announced they will make a $10,000 donation to the massive disaster-relief efforts now underway in Indonesia, Thailand and several other coastal nations that ring the Indian Ocean.
The Sun Valley City Council is scheduled to ratify the decision Monday, Jan. 10.
Councilman Lud Renick said Wednesday that the city is also serving as a resource for citizens to gather information about which humanitarian organizations might be the best choice for ensuring their donations are used promptly and efficiently in aiding disaster victims.
The city can provide an approved list of aid agencies, as well information on the agencies and their relief efforts. The list—which is available at City Hall—includes, but is not limited to: American Red Cross, CARE, Mercy Corps, Oxfam America, Project HOPE, Save the Children and UNICEF, also known as the United Nations Children's Fund.
World nations so far have pledged approximately $4 billion for tsunami relief.
However, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said this week he is concerned that all of the pledges might not be backed or might not be issued promptly enough to meet the immediate needs of victims.
Renick said he is hopeful the city can help "get a large proportion of donations into the hands of people who really need help."
Renick said he hopes Sun Valley citizens will collectively contribute "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to the relief effort in Asia.
