Dan Bogojevich

September 30, 2005 Dear Brian, On behalf of all the volunteers that accompanied me to Louisiana for the relief effort, I want to thank you. Your generous and immediate offer to underwrite, our mission, delivering much needed supplies to the devastated people of Louisiana was and is a shining example of Buffini and Company's philosophy of giving. As soon as you found out about our venture, you instantly stepped up to the plate with your offer to help. Knowing you over these last 8 years, I was not a bit surprised at your timely offer to help. You have repeatedly shown Alisa and me that your mission truly is to have a positive impact on others. Your "get it done now" approach enabled us to save time in delivering the desperately needed supplies.

I'd like to tell you a little about the trip. Much to the dismay of our families, we left Chicago at 4 a.m. on the morning of the 22 nd of September. Our trip was pretty uneventful and even quite pleasant, in stark contrast to the first trip in the wake of KATRINA. We arrived in Baton Rouge on the 23 rd, eight hours before RITA was scheduled to make land fall. Needless to say the amount of rain that was falling was something we had never experienced.

We decided to get the trucks unloaded as soon as possible. The storm was expected to increase in intensity with each passing hour. Our place of distribution was the Miracle Place Church in Baker LA , the town adjacent to Zachary where we had been after Katrina. As we finished unloading, it became apparent that we had no option but to stay put until RITA blew over.

Through your teaching and inspiration, we knew that the best place to plan our next step was in a place where we could find adult beverages. The obstacle we ran into was that we were in a dry town. In spite of the now raging storm, we persisted in our quest and found a Chili’s that was open. We were able to stay there and gather our thoughts. The management finally asked us to leave as their windows were starting to wave due to the high winds. We paid our bill, oh; by the way no Sambucca on your tab, thanked them, and drove back to Miracle Place Church . By the time we arrived we were walking in water up to our ankles.

At about 2:30 a.m. the force of RITA came through. It was as loud as a freight train going over your head. The power went out in about 15 minutes. By 5:30 things had quieted down. I was amazed at the serenity inside that church despite a hurricane raging all around us. A true sense of calm enveloped everyone. We knew that all 350 of us, black/white, old/young, men/women, were in this together and a sense of family and community was apparent.

Again, we were all impressed by the calmness of the effected people. Although they were not yet over KATRINA, they had to confront yet another hurricane. They had every reason to feel sorry for themselves yet they did not. I think we can all learn a valuable lesson from these folks. What do we really value? Life is not about our material possessions, it's about people, and it's about family. This whole experience gave me an opportunity to take a step back and realize that the stuff we think of as "difficult" or "challenging" in our daily lives pales in comparison to what these people have endured these last few weeks.

Finally I'd like to say that we are so very thankful that so many came together to make this trip possible. It showed all of us that we need each other, that we can make a difference, and that there are no barriers of color, age, race, or religion at the grassroots level.

Your inspiration, and the support of my Clubnet small group, has been astounding. I would also like to mention that the notes of support that I have been receiving from Clubnet members across the nation, are a true testament to the values that you share with us.

Thanks for leading the way,

Dan Bogojevich