Become a Mentor!  Make a significant and lasting contribution to the rebuilding of a great American city!  We’re looking for people with backgrounds or interest in any of the flowing fields:

• Deconstruction, recycling or “green” technologies
• “Green” architecture, construction or development
• Urban planning, urban renewal or enterprise zones
• Economic development, micro enterprises or micro-finance
• Community planning & organization, neighborhood associations or citizen action groups
• Financial services, “green” funding, taxation, insurance or legal issues
• Business management, strategic planning or human resources
• Communications, marketing or public relations
• Web design, graphic arts or media production
• Emergency preparedness, disaster recovery or community policing
• Any field where the concept of sustainability can and should play a role

Oregon is known for its livability, community spirit and focus on the environment & sustainability. The Flight of Friendship–New Orleans planning committee and Mercy Corps have focused on these authentic Oregon attributes as central elements of our upcoming April trip.  Our collective success in these areas also provides a strong foundation for creating productive and sustainable mentoring relationships between the people of New Orleans and Oregonians like you.  Please consider being a part of our effort to bring ongoing mentoring resources to the deserving people of New Orleans and other storm-ravaged areas of the Gulf Coast.  They need you!

The main purpose our mentoring program is to connect “in-need” emerging entrepreneurs, organizations and associations in New Orleans, with mentoring resources here in Oregon.   This special New Orleans-focused initiative will function within Mercy Corps existing on-line mentoring program called MicroMentor (http://www.micromentor.org/), a full-featured on-line mentoring resource management and communication system.   The system offers screening, vetting, security, and “opt-in” features.  Registered mentors get to browse through profiles of “protégés” in need and only request an “introduction” when there appears to be a good match with the mentor’s skills or knowledge.  Please give us a call and we’ll help explain the details of how MicroMentor works and how easy it is to join.  There are mentoring needs in many fields and areas of expertise and the commitment required on your part is very modest – as little as 3 hours per month for just 3 months. 

Mentoring is simply a great opportunity you or your company or organization, to positively impact the Gulf Coast recovery efforts in meaningful and sustainable ways that will have lasting benefit for all.  There is of course, much for us to learn from New Orleans and what has happened there, but New Orleanians still urgently need our assistance and can benefit immensely from the accumulated knowledge and expertise here in Oregon.

Please contact us directly if you might be interested in becoming part of this uniquely Oregonian initiative to show the people of the great city of New Orleans that we care!

Sincerely,
Patrick Eckford
Mentoring/Sustainability Sub-Committee
Flight of Friendship-New Orleans
503-546-6412 wk
503-784-2847 cell
mailto:patrick-eckford@comcast.net

Sustainability: A concept and strategy by which communities seek economic development approaches that benefit the local environment and quality of life. Sustainable development provides a framework under which communities can use resources efficiently, create efficient infrastructures, protect and enhance the quality of life, and create new businesses to strengthen their economies. A sustainable community is achieved by a long-term and integrated approach to developing and achieving a healthy community by addressing economic, environmental, and social issues. Fostering a strong sense of community and building partnerships and consensus among key stakeholders are also important element