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Dear Prospective Donor,

Thank you for supporting NOVA during this unprecedented natural disaster. I would like to explain how NOVA uses its donation money designated for disasters.

NOVA does not provide direct aid of food, clothing, shelter, or financial assistance to the victims. We provide emotional care.

What does that mean?

When you designate your donation to Katrina Crisis Response, your money will help us to:

• provide early psychological intervention to thousands traumatized by the Hurricane
• allow us to help victims, survivors, evacuees, first responders, and disaster relief workers;
• provide early psychological intervention to individuals, groups, and families; and
• pay for travel, lodging, and meals so our trained crisis interveners can work wherever victims are.

Already, for Katrina, we have dedicated volunteers:

• talking with victims and survivors in shelters, evacuation sites and at other locations;
• acting as companions to those who need additional emotional support;
• encouraging and supporting exhausted disaster relief workers and victims at feeding units;
• helping victims to locate their loved ones and needed services; and
• attempting to locate those who have been victimized by crime in the aftermath of the Hurricane to make sure they receive crime victim assistance services.

Many caregivers assisting in search and rescue efforts, treating medical needs, and helping to identify and remove the deceased are traumatized – they need and are receiving NOVA’s help as well.

We have no way to forecast our extraordinary expenses involved in getting our volunteer Crisis Teams to areas asking for our help or to anticipate the level of contributions we may receive. We will continue to send in teams as the demand for volunteers increases over the next weeks and months. The NOVA Board of Directors pledged after September 11 to send all the help that was needed. We will honor that pledge for Katrina and all future disasters.

We are not as well known as other major organizations responding to this disaster, but as the oldest victim assistance organization in the country, we are dedicated to insuring a better future for victims and survivors. I am proud that within the past week, NOVA volunteers responded to immediate requests from the states that were hit by Katrina, as well as numerous states around the country where residents are being evacuated – and we will continue this effort until we stop receiving requests. (click here to read more about NOVA’s response to Hurricane Katrina).

I hope this letter answers questions you may have as a potential donor and inspires you to donate with all your heart.

Thank you

NOVA Executive Director

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NOVA's 2004 Form 990