Name Tag Experience

A few weeks ago, one of our deliveries got lost in the mail. Somewhere between picking up the package and rushing it to California, the package slipped through the cracks. Unfortunately, these things happen and we do everything we can to fix it.

The package was supposed to be delivered on Saturday, but Saturday came and went and it was nowhere to be found. So on Sunday, the customer took a proactive approach to the situation and contacted Name Tag, Inc. through every avenue that she could find.

She finally got a hold of Clyde, our CEO, and he decided to take the crisis into his own hands. Name Tag, Inc. opened its doors that Sunday, remade the order, contacted mail carriers through the Salt Lake City International Airport, got the package on a plane to California, and had it delivered to the customer.

“UPS lost our order, which was supposed to be delivered on a Saturday. We needed our order ASAP, so Clyde opened the shop on a Sunday to reproduce our order and had someone drive it to the airport, so we got it in less than 24 hours. I was very impressed with how they handled the situation and appreciate their urgency as they knew how important the order was to us. Thanks again for your hard work!! It is MUCH appreciated!”

Sarah Spiegel, Kuoni Destination Management

Over the last 15 years, our mission has been the same: to serve our customers. And we’ll continue to do everything we can to make the most of your Name Tag Experience.

Gamers for Humanity has returned from another trip to the city of New Orleans, and wow, is there a lot to talk about this year. We learned a lot this year, and I suspect most people have no idea how bad things still are.

Central City

First, the basics. We spent the week working with the United Saints Recovery Project, a grassroots non-profit operating out of the Central City neighborhood (If you have a map of New Orleans, this is a neighborhood to the west of the Superdome). The USRP works, as many such organizations do, to bring home New Orleans residents who were evacuated during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. That’s right: six and a half years later, and we are still dealing with Katrina recovery, on a large scale.

Recently, the USRP have also been focusing efforts on helping the people of their community avoid the harsh fines the city has been levying on the poorest of homeowners. If your house is not kept up to a minimum level of repair, you are fined. If your grass is too long, you are fined. If you are gutting your house and the debris stays in your yard too long, you are fined. If your fences are not kept in shape, you are fined.

These fines run from $300 to $500 per day. And they are being levied against the poorest of citizens, those who can least afford them.

Keidra's House

Such was the project we were assigned to: Keidra’s house. The USRP has worked over recent weeks to repair and repaint the exterior of her house, to help her avoid those fines. But the house is still unlivable, and so we were assigned to gut the house—tear out the drywall, plaster, and lath, and make the structure ready for plumbing and wiring. It took us all week, and three entire dumpsters, but we did it. We don’t know what the next steps taken will be—it depends on what funds she has available to her. But the house is ready for those next steps.

You might think, given that it had to be gutted, that Keidra’s house was flooded all those years ago. But it wasn’t. The damage was Katrina-related, to be sure. But it wasn’t flooding. While Keirda was evacuated to another part of the country, along with most of the rest of New Orleans’ population, squatters moved in—homeless people. Whether they were homeless before the storms or made homeless by the storms is unclear. But they moved in while Keidra was away…and trashed the place. They destroyed or stole many of her valuables, and caused enough damage to the house that we had to gut it.

This house was also a livelihood—it was also a daycare for neighborhood children.

Hard At Work

Keidra is also under the gun from the city, who are telling her that she has to raise her house—a house that was not flooded in the storms—before she can receive her Road Home money. Word is that the city decision-makers are being influenced by a developer who wants the house, and wants to force her to sell it rather than move back in. Another instance of the abuse of power by the influential in New Orleans. But that’s for another issue in this series.

A lot of rubble to clear

We were blessed with another excellent group of volunteers this year—hard-working and happy to be giving of their time and energy. In terms of sheer hours of work put into Katrina recovery, New Orleans owes a lot more to volunteers than it does to the government at any level, and we were proud of the work our volunteers did. I hope that they, in return, were able to see why New Orleans is an important city, a city that needs to be preserved, and were able to learn about the complex web of social problems and culture that lies behind all the difficulties. I know that they were able to meet some of the wonderful citizens of the city, experience the unique culture, and I was told specifically that this would not be the last time some of them would be back to help.

In the next issue of the newsletter, I’ll start illustrating some of the social justice issues that lie behind the continuing recovery from one of the greatest man-made disasters our country has ever seen.

Our Volunteers!

Thank you once more to all our donors who helped to make this trip more affordable for our volunteers. Bring able to take a week of your time to help others is a rare privilege, but helping those who do have the time get to where they need to go is just as important. Thanks also once again to All Nations Baptist Church of Iowa City for the use of the old trusty van–once more into the breach.

Tom Javoroski
President, Gamers for Humanity

We talk a lot about our executive name plates, and how they add prestige and professionalism to the workplace. They give employees a sense of confidence and belonging, especially if the name plates note the employee’s title within the company.

But name plates are appropriate for almost every occasion: parties, weddings, bedrooms, classrooms, etc. Name plates, regardless of the occasion, create the same feeling of importance and uniqueness, proving time and again that they can boost confidence.

Maybe a marble name plate isn’t right for a wedding, but stretch your creativity and craft unique name plates for your guests.

(Photo from Pinterest)

The photo above was taken at a LEGO-themed party. If you’re throwing a themed party or wedding, match the name plates to fit in. They will be a guaranteed hit, and they will be a great keepsake for the guests!

What about for your kid’s bedroom? A durable and timeless name plate will serve as a staple in the room, and in the life of your son or daughter.

(Photo from Pinterest)

Get creative and take what you know about your son or daughter’s personality to create a name plate that’s perfect for them. They’ll appreciate it, and they’ll keep it for life.