Letters To Betsy and I along with a couple of other fabulous Charlotteans are currently organizing a PrettyCity Beauty Event to raise funds for the oil spill tragedy in the Gulf.  Attendees will enjoy mini services provided by local spas/salons, drinks, desserts, swag bags & more!

100% of Ticket Sales and portions of sales by participating vendors will go towards the cleanup efforts in the Gulf.  

I was born in Georgia but grew up in Alabama so the areas being affected by this tragedy hit close to home. I know many people who are being affected directly by this.  I asked a friend of mine to share with me how this was affecting him directly and with his permission, I’d like to share his response.  It’s truly an eye opening message.

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I live in the Destin/Fort Walton Beach area of the Florida panhandle and so far we have been lucky. We have only had 2 big oil landfalls and a now near constant bombardment of tar balls. For others it has been a lot worse. Sugar white beaches that look clean at first glance turn out to be soaked in oil only an inch or two under the surface, marshlands that may never recover enough to support a healthy ecosystem, and the animals that are not dying will find it almost impossible to find safe places to raise their young.

With oil still gushing at up to 2 million gallons a day I fear this is just the beginning. In an area that has always been plagued by hurricanes I must say this is far worse than any storm. At least with a hurricane you have a few days of chaos and then you just pick up the pieces. We won’t know for months or even years when all of the pieces have finished falling. All we can do is wait and see how bad it is going to get.

Clean up efforts are underway, and if you watch the news they are going quite well. I only wish that was the truth. When you here reporters complaining about not being allowed to take pictures of the devastation on public beaches or the oil soaked wildlife that rescuers are trying to save, that is the truth. Oil soaked boom left unrecovered on beaches, that is true. There are thousands of volunteers willing to help with the cleanup process but unless they are under BP’s direct control they face fines and possible jail time just for trying. A situation enforced by our own government through the coast guard and other law enforcement officials. Towns and cities trying to set up their own containment efforts face miles of red tape just to get the funds and approval to do so.

The people of the gulf coast are thankful for any help we can get. That can best be accomplished by donating to wildlife rescue groups. I found a page with links to several genuine sites here.(http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/how-to-help-wildlife-rescue-operations-in-the-gulf-underway-since-the-oil-spill)

As far as how the oil spill is effecting me personally. I suspect my time living in Florida will soon come to an end. I work and live in the world of recreational boating and since that oil well blew that world has come to a screeching halt. No one wants to paint a boat with an oil spill looming on the horizon. I will move on and start a new life somewhere else because that is what I spent the last four years building. A portable life for someone who would just as soon stay put. I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time. Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. I know it was a bit long winded but I tried to keep the anger to a minimum as you don’t need to hear (read) it, and thank you for your efforts to help. Every bit of support means so much to the people down here as we try to save our way of life.

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 His message to me was heartbreaking on so many levels. This gives a completely different view of what is REALLY happening .This isn’t coming from the media. This isn’t coming from someone who holds a seat in office. This comes from someone who now has to pick up the pieces to his life and begin again because of this tragedy. 

Make sure to sign up for Charlotte PrettyCity’s newsletter to receive updates on this Benefit as well as other Charlotte PrettyCity events.  If you are interested in participating in this Benefit as a Beauty vendor , volunteer, or would like to donate a Silent Auction Item,  you may reach me at akeith@prettycity.com

Thank you Charlotte! 

Let’s show our fellow Americans that we are here to help them get through this terrible tragedy.

xoxo