CitizenGulf: Gulf Oil Spill Spurs Social Good

Samantha Strauss Aug 24, 2010 Tweet

What happens when social entrepreneurs meet up with a national disaster? From the rubble can emerge a new opportunity such as CitizenGulf, an amazing cause which has been put together by socially conscious members of the social media, non-profit and entrepreneurial communities to aid the Gulf Coast.

This April, we watched in devastation as the Gulf Coast was covered in oil after a deep-water rig explosion. Now it is time to clean up and come together. Strong members of our socially conscious entrepreneurial flock have put together CitizenGulf: a collaborative initiative aimed at supporting the education of the children of the fishing families affected by the oil spill. The project will fund the After School Assembly Program for the 2010-2011 school year by providing teacher salaries, special events and school supplies, games, math, reading and science curricula, and student liability insurance for the families in the Plaquemine Parish. The fishing families have been greatly affected and we need to take care of them for our future.

Social Media Club‘s Chris Heuer and Kristie Wells have stepped in and helped organize CitizenGulf’s National Day of Action events this Wednesday, August 25, 2010. Make sure to attend one in your city and show your support for the Gulf Coast.

“There are a lot of people who aren’t going to make it out of this disaster with their lifestyles, or their very lives in tact. A lot of the fishing families of the gulf coast are going to be facing increasingly difficult situations in regards to supporting themselves for some time to come based on the perception that fish from the Gulf is not safe. These are some of the most vulnerable people in our society, and it is our responsility to look after them and do what we can with the resources we have at our disposal to help,” says Social Media Club founder Chris Heuer.

Citizen Gulf is a joint initiative put together by several entrepreneurs and non-profits: Andy Sternberg, Citizen Effect, el-studio.com, Live Your Talk, Sloane Berrent, Social Media Club, Taylor Davidson and Zoetica.

Why should you care? Because, “as Americans we need to say no, this is not acceptable. New Orleans and the Gulf were just devastated five years ago by Katrina. Are we going to let the progress since then go to waste? No. We have to say no.” – Geoff Livingston, Zoetica

In alignment with the week of the fifth anniversary of Katrina, this Wednesday we urge you to gather your friends and colleagues and attend CitizenGulf’s National Day of Action — promoted by Gulf Coast Benefit. Together, as Chris Heuer says, “we can raise awareness for their plight and raise funds too by leveraging our national and global reach – social media for social good.”