This Holiday

This year make a donation to your survival fund.

All of us here at FTI are wishing you a happy holiday season. Please, be extra safe and never let your guard down. Disasters do not wait till after the holidays to strike. Remember Indonesia and Haiti? Last Christmas and the beginning of the new year was a very sad time for millions of earthquake victims. Our heart goes out to the survivors as this will be the first Christmas they spend without their loved ones. remember all that were lost in this terrible combination of disasters. Our prayers are for all disaster survivors world wide and especially those in countries that have seen major devastation in the last year. Happy Safe Holiday! We are sorry for your losses.

Now! On to more news!

I am sure you remember the amount of money that was donated to the survivors in the Haitian islands last year. Millions of American dollars went to aid in the recuperation efforts. The American president made it a point to have the United States of America shine as the largest giver to the cause of helping the Haiti residents. We can all be proud to live in such a giving country. You may have been one that made a contribution. Because of you, humanitarian aid from the USA was tremendous! Thank you.

Now this year FTI has a new cause for you to donate too and it is not us. During your shopping this year we want you to put a small amount of money aside for YOU. Yes! That's right. We want you to make a clear donation to YOUR survival needs. FTI understands that it is a human compassion to want to help other humans and give what you can. A good way to do that is with a donation. FTI wants you to keep this attitude. There is nothing wrong with giving. But have you given to yourself lately?

FTI would like to see you make a contribution to your own personal/family disaster relief fund. If everybody in America donated just $20 dollars to themselves. This would be a nationwide donation $6,215,543,440. Can you imagine what kind of disaster relief that can buy? We at FTI think it is a good idea to donate directly towards a disaster survival kit of some kind for yourself.  By doing this, the work of the Red Cross and FEMA would be greatly reduced and our donations will not be spent on the handling  suffer as badly around the next major disaster. Be a charitable contributor to your own life and help the community around you by donating.

The latest FEMA messages delivered by the director Mr. Craig Fugate have all included one key point. Mr. Fugate speaks all over the world about how to plan and administer disaster mitigation. In every message he delivers there is one question that he never fails to ask. "What can you do as an individual to make preparations BEFORE the next disaster strikes?" Good question!

FTI wants to know.

What have you done for disaster control and mitigation on a personal level? Since you have seen the devastation from last year, have you made any personal adjustments? Have you set aside a disaster kit? Have you checked to see if you live in a dangerous Tsunami Zone? Do you know where to go in case of an emergency? Have you made plans with your family on where to meet? The list of specific questions can be endless so I will repeat the question presented by our director at FEMA. What can you do as an individual to prepare yourself for the next major disaster in your area?

  We are happy to relay this message to you.

Happy Holiday,

Zachary T. DeVoe

First Trust Industries Inc.