I'd greatly appreciate your suggestions...

There may be some need to wait or to work upon it until things line up and it just goes.

Part-time emergency employees deployed to assist in Superstorm Sandy relief efforts have won federal health benefits, the Office of Personnel Management announced Friday.

The Office of Personnel Management is issuing an interim final rule, obtained by Government Executive, to expand the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to part-time workers with FEMA, known as reservists. The rule takes effect immediately.

The announcement comes after an online petition requesting the benefits received nearly 100,000 signatures in the 10 days since it was launched.

A May Government Accountability Office report found that reservists, who make up 57 percent of FEMA’s workforce, do not receive any federal health benefits. When many of these reservists -- also known as disaster assistance employees -- were deployed in support of Sandy relief, Dena Patrick decided to take action.

The disaster assistance employees serve two-year appointments and are paid only when deployed.

Patrick -- founder of Wishadoo!, a grass-roots community organizing website -- thought FEMA employees who have been on the front lines in areas devastated by Sandy -- knocking on doors, delivering mobile homes and supervising the disbursement of more than $250 million in grants to those affected by the storm -- had earned their benefits and launched a campaign on their behalf.

http://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2012/11/part-time-fema-workers-now-eligible-health-care-benefits/59421/?oref=dropdown


And I just LOVE that they referred to Wishadoo! as a "grassroots community organizing website"!!!

I look forward to more GRACE and EASE.

I've never succeeded in finding good contacts for communication with the OWS peeps outside my area.

Do you have suggestions as to how I may reach the Occupy Sandy people for them to -- when anyone there has time -- add suggestions for businesses who have helped their efforts?

I want to help promote such businesses.

http://www.wishadoo.org/blog/125/quot-support-good-business-quot-campaign/

Thanks, FWWM.

http://interoccupy.net/newswire/

http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/
http://www.recovers.org
http://www.350.org
http://www.sandyvolunteers.org

on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/OccupySandy
@OccupySandy
@StatenIslandRecovers
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SandyRelief&src=typd
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SandyAid&src=typd
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SandyVolunteer&src=typd


Occupy Wall Street ‏@OccupyWallStNYC

From @InterOcc: Huge Data Source for Occupy Sandy Volunteers and Victims Nationwide http://ow.ly/2t26Jr

Thank you for all the links!

http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/your-post-sandy-questions-answered/

I've posted to Twitter as well with your promotion link; hopefully things will pop up!

https://twitter.com/InterOcc
https://twitter.com/NYCSandyNeeds
https://twitter.com/OccupySandyNJ
https://twitter.com/nycfoodtruck
https://twitter.com/invisiblepeople


Occupy Sandy BK
@520ClintonOS
Occupy Sandy distribution & volunteer center. In the Church of St. Luke & St. Matthew. (347) 770-4520 sandy520clinton@gmail.com
520 Clinton Ave., Brooklyn, NY · bit.ly/ClintonOS


theRockawaysNY ‏@theRockawaysNY
RT Get free hot meals from food trucks! View map from mobile phone & get directions. @nycfoodtruck #Rockaway #SandyHelp http://bit.ly/UBQ0Hr
Retweeted by NYC Sandy Needs

Karen Carlson, L.Ac. ‏@acuforthepeople
free acupuncture for stress relief with acupuncturists without borders #sandyvolunteer #sandyaid http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=32673 …
Retweeted by NYC Sandy Needs

Rachel Ray just dropped some $500K in funds and pet food to aid animals after Sandy.

Stop The Wars ‏@sickjew
This rocks so hard. RT @OccupySandy YANA Medical Clinic Rockaway Park, Queens #sandymedics #sandyaid
pic.twitter.com/PlUAdaTI
Retweeted by NYC Sandy Needs

Occupy Sandy BK ‏@520ClintonOS
Need help? Have #sandy questions? Call us @520clintonOS: 347-770-4520. Pls RT. #sandyaid
Retweeted by Stop The Wars

StatenIslandRecovers ‏@SIrecovers
Elite Dental of Staten Island will provide emergency dental care as a courtesy to anyone affected by the storm: 718-370-1200.
Retweeted by NYC Sandy Needs

Occupy Sandy ‏@OccupySandy

Many thanks to Not An Alternative (@naa_nyc) for donating new #OccupySandy signs and safety vests! #sandyaid pic.twitter.com/FCc9PCZe
Retweeted by Stop The Wars

LISandyRecovery ‏@LISandyRecovery
Airbnb is partnering with the City of New York to provide hurricane relief http://post.ly/9jdvz via @airbnb
Retweeted by NYC Sandy Needs

NYCEDC ‏@NYCEDC
The Lightstone Group donates free temporary space for businesses impacted by #Sandy, incl this @ProjectRunway workspace http://bit.ly/PQ5eLV
Retweeted by NYC Sandy Needs

Foley's NY ‏@FoleysNY
@springsteen Hurricane Sandy Relief Benefit on Thurs night with guest Bartender, David Cone! Can you spread the word! pic.twitter.com/KZF8ergS
Retweeted by NYC Sandy Needs

The Cinnamon Snail ‏@VeganLunchTruck
PLEASE RT: We are Serving FREE hot Vegan food & fresh donuts at 192 beach 96th street rockaway beach until 3:30 @occupysandy #sandyrelief
Retweeted by NYC Sandy Needs

HSUS ‏@HumaneSociety
DISASTER UPDATE: we are caring for 450+ animals in our emergency shelters, and have reunited 200+ families with their pets! #sandypets
Retweeted by NYC Sandy Needs

Coney Island ‏@ConeyIslandFun

#GivingThanks for corporate donors who have supplied #ConeyRecovers:
@wholefoods @duanereade @walgreens @freshdirect @keyfood & more!
Retweeted by NYC Sandy Needs

Thank you very much!

I was Googling, trying to find articles touting the efforts of businesses in the aftermath of Sandy, and was pleasantly surprised when I finally stumbled upon something applicable: Turns out it was my message to Interoccupy; they turned it into an article and posted it on their front page last week.

I'll follow up regarding the above. Thanks again!

So I'll repeat it here and thank you again for all the fabulous information!

Great work. Thank you.