An Update

September 26, 2005

To All –

This is a follow-up to the email I distributed September 14 announcing the creation of the Renew New Orleans Foundation and the RENEW NEW ORLEANS fundraising campaign. The response has been overwhelmingly positive – so much so that I want to personally thank each and every one of you for the support you have shown the Foundation.

I’m pleased to say our collective efforts are starting to pay off. In just over a week, the Foundation has received approximately 150 orders for roughly 1,000 bracelets, with donations coming in from a total of 27 states.

Granted, our success so far is modest, but you can’t help being encouraged, especially when you consider that we are doing this by word of mouth only, with no advertising or media coverage, relying only on human empathy for those in need and the power of the Internet.

I also want to address the three most frequent questions that we’ve been asked so far, namely:

• Who are you guys?
• Are you legit?
• Where’s the money going?

Let’s start with the second question first: “Are you legit?” The Renew New Orleans Foundation is structured as a non-profit organization. We have filed a 501(c)3 application with the IRS. We filed an “expedited” application, but our lawyer has advised us that it takes more than a month for the IRS to process our application. Once we have received our IRS confirmation, we will post it and our tax identification number on www.renewNOLA.org. In the mean time, if anyone wants to double check the legitimacy of the Foundation, I would be happy to put you in touch with our lawyer.

Now to the first question, “Who are you guys?” The Renew New Orleans Foundation is a non-profit fundraising organization run by New Orleanians for New Orleans and the surrounding metropolitan areas. The Foundation has four directors.

The first person is my stepfather, Mike Scardino. Mike was born and raised in New Orleans and currently resides in Metairie. He works for Jefferson Parish and his duties include overseeing the Parishes public buildings such as courthouses and executive offices. He’s been married to my mother, Sandra, for 33 years. Mike is a 1969 graduate of East Jefferson High School and is a co-founder along with his father of the Kenner Central Lions’ Club, an organization dedicated to fighting blindness.

Next is Jeffrey Barach, Jr., a native New Orleanian and a 1987 graduate of Newman High School. Jeff received his undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California and his MBA from the University of Texas. Jeff works as an account executive for Cardinal Health, a Fortune 500 company that is one of the largest distributors of medical supplies and equipment in the US. He lives in Abita Springs with his wife and two children.

The third director is Edwin Lee, Jr. Ed is one of those rare individuals who is a jack of all trades AND master of many of them. He’s an excellent guitar player, licensed attorney, information technology guru, husband, father and friend. Ed is the technical brains behind the Foundation, and without him we wouldn’t exist on the internet. Ed is a principal consultant at Dallas-based IT consulting firm Stonebridge, and he and his wife, Katie live in Houston with their two children.

That leaves me, Michael W. Latino, Jr. I was born in New Orleans on August 27, 1969 and was reared in Metairie. I’m a member of the Krewe of Okeanos and amazingly, I’ve never been arrested even though I’ve never missed Mardi Gras in all of my 36 years. I graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School in 1987 and graduated from LSU in 1992. Out of college, I worked at local necktie manufacturer Wemco Industries, which afforded me the opportunity to travel to Dallas. This was during the tech boom, and in 1998 I was offered a job with Stonebridge Technologies as an account executive. Since then, I’ve had the good fortune to rise through the Stonebridge ranks to my current position as executive vice president, sales and marketing. My wife, Melissa, and I have been married for nine years and have two children.

Last question: “Where’s the money going?” 100% of the profits from the Foundation’s fundraising activities will go to local New Orleans charities. We believe local New Orleans charities will be best suited to assist in the long-term rebuilding of the city, so we plan on donating to a variety of charities in the future depending on the needs required at that time. The areas we want to focus on are: 1) Health, 2) Education and 3) the Arts. Specific emphasis will be given to finding charities that support children and at-risk youths.

Keep in mind that New Orleans-based charities themselves have been displaced by Katrina, so contacting them is problematic at present. But the Renew New Orleans Foundation is a long-term initiative. The rebuilding effort will take years to complete, and we plan on being an integral part of the process every step of the way.

I’d also like to say that getting the Foundation off the ground and running as quickly as we have has been a Herculean effort. In addition to the board members, I want to thank Stephen Schulkens and Craig Dees for their contributions of time. In particular, I want to thank my wife, Melissa, for her understanding and unconditional support. Without her staying up past midnight every night this past week, no one’s orders would have been filled and shipped.

Anyway, I hope this addresses many of your questions and gives you the faith that the Renew New Orleans Foundation is a cause worthy of wearing a purple, green and gold RENEW NEW ORLEANS bracelet. I’ve included my contact info for my day job below and welcome you to ask me any additional questions you may have. Please also keep spreading the word about the Foundation because New Orleans will be back better than ever; she just needs our collective help in order to make it happen.

Sincerely,

Mike Latino
Executive Vice President
Stonebridge Technologies
Direct: (972)419-7741
Cell: (214)673-3000
Fax: (972)455-7260
www.sbti.com