I work for USPTGear, and my boss decided to send out a promo to raise funds for The American Red Cross. I promise you, this isn't some scam, he has also sent out the same promo to all our vendors and corporate partners.

The subj of the email reads:
SUPPORT THE VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA - AMERICAN RED CROSS

Here is the content of the promo:


If you get one of these from us or from a friend or family member, keep in mind that this may seem like the hundreds of email scams that the Red Cross is warning people about. If you think you received an illegitimate promo but still want to participate, please visit www.usptgear.com and follow the links there. There is free shipping and a percentage of the proceeds will help support The American Red Cross. There are instructions to remove your address from the mailing list if you want, its quite simple. Just send an email to remove@usptgear.com from your account and lucky me, I get to sift through all your remove requests (sometimes hundreds a day).

If you're like me, you're probably tired of these ribbons and pins. But I still encourage all of you to donate time or money to the relief efforts. You may contact your local Red Cross chapter, church, synagogue, masjid, or other community service program. Still be cautious of scammers and potential fraudulent activity. USPTGear and The American Red Cross will NOT solicit you directly for monetary donations. Money is the best donation at this point, Red Cross has dedicated veterans who will know how to use the money to aid the relief efforts. Thank-you for your understanding. I just wanted to get the word out before we get an influx of angry phone calls from spammed customers.
-meGrimlock

USPTGear
www.usptgear.com

The American Red Cross
www.redcross.org

 

I'll buy one but in all honesty I won't put it on my car. Can I just send you the money?

 

its a wearable pin, not a sticker or magnet. we're an online store, so we're really not in the business of taking donations. when money exchanges more hands than it needs to, it raises a lot of speculation and opportunity for something to go wrong. this is a way for us to sell one of our products and still give. if you'd still like to give, you can give directly to the red cross. thanks though!
-meGrimlock

 

The church I attend is attempting to impact the community in a big way by extending food, supplies, and manpower to the New Orleans community. They are working directly with Journey Christian Church in New Orleans to bypass a lot of the red tape and administrative junk and provide these resources directly to the people affected. None of this is going to the Red Cross, Salvation Army, any govt agecy, or any other organization. Food and supplies go directly to the church community and surrounding areas. If you're in the Northern Virginia area and like to help, visit http://community-impact.org/katrina-collection.htm to see what you can donate and drop off locations.

If any of you have seen the music video, "Baby Got Book" with the white-boy rapper, that's Dan Smith, former preacher at New Life Christian Church. The whole premise of New Life is to make church fun, and affect lives where they can. They have 3 campuses, one in Sterling, Centreville, and Haymarket. Thanks.
-meGrimlock