As Hurricane Gustav bears down on the Gulf Coast and surrounding areas, Red Nose Response is preparing its response plans. As you know, we are not a "first response" group, but instead, understand that we can do the most good and be the most effective in the weeks and months following a major disaster. That said, we are not going to wait until then to develop a cohesive plan that can be put into place now.

RNR is looking at a several pronged approach to our response to Hurricane Gustav. First, it is our hope that much like following Hurricane Katrina, we can bring a contingency of clowns into the area to assist those in need. Unfortunately, as we all know, due to new regulations, this will not be as easy to do as in the past. We will be investigating, though, with a number of relief agencies, exactly how we can assist those on the ground. If you have taken American Red Cross disaster training classes, please let us know as soon as possible. If not, this does not mean you will won't be able to work on the frontlines. We need to determine, though, in both cases, exactly how you can help. Again, as stated above, we don't want to just rush in unprepared.

Second, we want to work with you and your alleys across the country to help you develop a plan to gather goods and then distribute them. We want to make sure the care packages you and your alleys put together make it to their destination and those in need actually receive them. We will be investigating exactly what is needed in the area and then send out this information in upcoming E-zine alerts. If you and/or your alley have already started to develop a plan or want to discuss how to put one together, please email us right away. We want to help.

Finally, there is the issue of fundraising. As we determine the exact needs of those in the region, we will alert you as to various options. There are a number of worthy causes and we want to make sure all of you are aware of them. In addition, as with the goods you gather, we want to make sure any funds raised actually end up benefiting those for whom they are earmarked.

For those of you who live and/or work in the path of Hurricane Gustav, our thoughts and prayers are with you. If possible, please let us know as soon as possible about your situation. We want to be able to not only know you are ok, but alert others in the organization about what is going on in your area before, during and after the storm. If you can give us any immediate updates, we would greatly appreciate them.

Once again, we want to hear from our responders. If you have specific questions, comments or suggestions, please contact us. We want to open new lines of communication so you know that your voice matters.

Please direct all communication to info@rednoseresponse.org.

We hope that the Special Issue with the President's Message has helped many of you look at all the ways you can contribute to comic relief. On several occasions, we have heard a comment like the following that came from Harriet Rubin, a Florida responder.

Harriet wrote, "Hi Jeremy. Have a question. Is it not necessary to go through the Red Cross in order to be a real part of RNR? This area seems to be unclear to many of us. I'm sure you are aware of the anti-Red Cross sentiments currently buzzing around. So, do we need the connection or not? Thanks." Harriet Rubin

The response came from Teresa "Blinky/Blondi" Gretton, RNR Board Advisor, who answered, "Hi Harriet: You bring up a very good question, one that is actually asked a lot. There is no "requirement" for RNR responders to take American Red Cross (ARC) classes nor has there ever been. It is only required when they wish to work in a shelter. Many shelters are managed by Red Cross and it is the ARC's requirement that those volunteers (helping in their shelters) take appropriate courses. There are sometimes non-ARC shelters that might not require the classes.

There are other worthy tasks to do in RNR that can benefit those in disasters, it's just that so much of RNR's focus of late has been centered around shelters because it has been the primary mission that RNR began with. Some of those tasks I talk about will be addressed very soon in e-zines, i.e., fundraising, event planning for those who have been deployed, board committees, etc., more in line with our "comic relief" and clowning expertise.

While the shelters are still a priority, you will see the focus shift somewhat to include these and other opportunities to give everyone a feeling of involvement.

Thank you so much for your interest and support for RNR."

Some states have one or more coordinators. Some have none to date.

Look up your state at http://www.rednoseresponse.org to find out.

We suggest members go to the FORUM. This is located by clicking on the FORUM when the site opens. You can then go to STATE BY STATE. This will take you to a view of all the State names. Click on your state and find out who your State Coordinator is as well as all the Responders in that state.

If you find that your state does not have a coordinator here are several suggestions.

1. Locate a neighboring state and find out who the contact person is there. Send an email and tell the coordinator that you're are looking for connections.
2. Help us find more clowns willing to be State coordinators by either offering to be one yourself or encouraging a fellow clown to step up.
3. Let us know of any suggestions you have to make the process better. We need your input on these concerns.

Many clowns have coloring pages of their clown images and use them to entertain or advertise or as give-aways at parties. Several members of the RNR Board have spoken of collecting as many of these as we can and then producing a book that you can download, staple and give out as you respond to many kinds of community needs.

Tell us if you like this idea and if you might use such a collection. Please send your thoughts to info@rednoseresponse.org.

Flying CAN be fun if you do it with a red nose on your face. On Aug 1, Barb "Sparky" Bird and her mother (who is 97) found that security personnel, passengers and airline crews were all happy to help celebrate International Clown Week. Sparky went all through BWI airport in Baltimore in nose and shoes, gave out cards explaining ICW, handed out noses, brown Es, free Bs, stickers and told people about RNR.

In fact, Sparky flew to Albany, NY and continued through that airport in her new travel gear. Her mother went her own way to Indiana to greet her great grandchildren wearing her red nose.

Still another flying clown, Teresa "Blinky" Gretton flew on Aug 7 where she had the flight attendant deliver red noses to the crew and hand out stickers to all the passengers. Who says you can't have a little fun?

You will remember the stories we received from Rita Winter when the tornado did its devastation to Greensburg, her hometown, and the town where her parents lived. Rita was able to find an Internet connection in the oddest places and kept us informed on the progress she and her family were making. Rita even found opportunities to entertain some children in the midst of her own sorrow.

Now, a bit more than a year later, Greensburg KS has made some incredible changes. Their determination to rebuild was strengthened by the desire to become more environmentally friendly.

Although we are sharing this TV link a bit after the announced date of August 23, we want you all to be on the lookout for the TLC showing of the Greensburg story. It's titled, "Making it Home: Greensburg." Can anyone tell us if you see Rita in the show?

These lovely pins and patches that have the RNR logo on them are easily available. The RNR Board members Bob Gretton and Dianna Hale as well as RNR Advisor, Teresa Gretton, will have them at the SECA convention that begins Wednesday, Sept 3, in Jacksonville FL.

However, if you are not going to be at that convention and you don't want to wait for the next one in your area, just send a request to Teresa Gretton at bunkyandblinky@comcast.net or mail her a message by snail mail to P.O. Box 787, Waldorf, MD 20604- 0787. All orders must be prepaid so don't lose this address.

The pins and patches are $5.00 each with a small shipping and handling charge. The shipping for a patch is $1.00, because it can go in a paper envelope. The shipping for a pin or a combined order that includes a pin is $2.00. The Postal Service has changed how they rate these as packages.

We are also offering a 10% discount on the pins and patches (not the shipping costs however) for an order of three (3) or more. If you are uncertain of what you want or what the total cost might be, send an email to teresa@rednoseresponse.org and she will have an quick answer for you.

By Mark Shriver, Vice President of U.S. Programs, Save The Children

On the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the frightening images of death and destruction in the aftermath of that storm are once again having an impact on children across the United States, as national attention focuses on a new storm bearing down on the Louisiana coast.

Concerned about the emotional well-being of their children, many parents, teachers, grandparents and care-givers are looking for advice on how to respond to questions from children about unsettling and upsetting events that continue to be shown in the media about recent storms.

Children often ask the adults in their lives to explain what they are seeing and reassure them about what will happen next: "Will everything be OK? Why is this happening? What will happen to the children who have lost so much?"

How do we respond to these questions?

Following 9/11 - and again after Hurricane Katrina - Save the Children prepared the following ten tips to help adults support children through times of crisis. These ten tips are based upon Save the Children's years of experience in providing emotional support to children during natural disasters, both nationally and internationally. And they can be used as a guide for adults to support children through this crisis. The relevance of different tips may vary depending on such factors as a child's previous experience, age and where he or she lives in the world.

1. Turn off the television. Watching television reports on disasters may overwhelm younger children. They may not understand that the tape of an event is being replayed, and instead think the disaster is happening over and over again. Overexposure to coverage of the events affects teenagers and adults as well. Television limits should be set for both you and your children.

2. Listen to your children carefully. Before responding, get a clear picture of what it is that they understand and what is leading to their questions. Emotional stress results in part when a child cannot give meaning to dangerous experiences. Find out what he or she understands about what has happened. Their knowledge will be determined by their age and their previous exposure to such events. Begin a dialogue to help them gain a basic understanding that is appropriate for their age and responds to their underlying concerns.

3. Give children reassurance and psychological first-aid. Assure them about all that is being done to protect children who have been directly affected by this crisis. Take this opportunity to let them know that if any emergency or crisis should occur, your primary concern will be their safety. Make sure they know they are being protected.

4. Be alert for significant changes. Parents should be alert to any significant changes in sleeping patterns, eating habits, concentration, wide emotional swings or frequent physical complaints without apparent illness. If present, these will likely subside within a short time. If prolonged, however, we encourage you to seek professional support and counseling. For children directly affected by a crisis - such as children who have lost a loved one - parents should consult their pediatrician or family doctor and consider counseling, not just for the child, but also for the entire family. It may be an important preventative measure. But other children may also be affected by the images they see and stories they hear.

5. Expect the unexpected. Not every child will experience these events in the same way. As children develop, their intellectual, physical and emotional capacities change. Younger children will depend largely on their parents to interpret events, while older children and teenagers will get information from a variety of sources which may not be as reliable. Understand that older teenagers, because of their greater capacity for understanding, may be more affected by these stories. While teenagers seem to have more adult capacities to recover as well, they still need extra love, understanding and support to process these events.

6. Give your children extra time and attention. They need your close, personal involvement to comprehend that they are safe and secure. Talk, play and, most important, listen to them. Find time to engage in special activities for children of all ages. Read bedtime stories and sing songs to help younger children fall asleep.

7. Be a model for your child. Your child will learn how to deal with these events by seeing how you deal with them. Base the amount of self-disclosure on the age and developmental level of each of your children. Explain your feelings but remember to do so calmly.

8. Watch your own behavior. Make a point of showing sensitivity toward those impacted by the disaster. This is an opportunity to teach your children that we all need to help each other.

9. Help your children return to normal activities. Children almost always benefit from activity, goal orientation and sociability. Ensure that your child's school environment is also returning to normal patterns and not spending great amounts of time discussing the crisis.

10. Encourage your child to do volunteer work. Helping others can give your child a sense of control, security and empathy. Indeed, in the midst of crisis, adolescents and youth can emerge as active agents of positive change. Encourage your children to help support local charities that assist children in need.

In order to join the Moscow State Circus, clowns must go to the Moscow State Circus College for Circus and Variety Arts for ...

A) 7 years
B) 8 months
C) 2 years
D) 4 years

We will reveal the answer in the next e-zine.