“As the SGIA printing community comes together to help residents of Texas and Florida rebound from the recent effects of Hurricane Harvey and Irma, it’s important to note that the cleanup can take months, or even years,” said Ford Bowers, President & CEO, SGIA. “In 2005, New Orleans suffered the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina—100 percent of the homes in the Lower Ninth Ward were rendered uninhabitable—and the efforts are still underway to help the region rebuild.”
The 2017 Expo shirt idea—a black shirt with brilliant colors, gel coating, and foil effects—was conceived by an internal committee at SGIA and designed and printed by Graphic Elephants LLC. All materials also were donated by suppliers and manufacturers: shirts by Fruit of the Loom, screen printing equipment by The M&R Companies, Newman Roller Frames by Stretch Devices, Wilflex Ink by PolyOne, Shur Loc Panels, Murakami Mesh, Kiwo/Ulano Stencils, Easiway Systems Chemistry, PMI Tape and Amagic Foils.
“We definitely wanted to capture the spirit of New Orleans’ French Quarter with artwork that would display the detail of its timeless architecture and its colorful environment,” said Lon Winters, President, GraphicElephants.com/Print This, Inc. “So, we headed to the drawing board. Literally. We got out the pencil and paper and began to sketch what our idea would be.”
Once finalized, the internal committee voted on the local New Orleans organization to donate the proceeds to and lowernine.org was overwhelmingly chosen, showing support for the area Hurricane Katrina impacted most. To date, lowernine.org has completed 85 full rebuild projects, bringing home more than 170 people. They also have completed more than 250 smaller projects, enabling people to remain in their homes safely, or to fix problems left by shoddy contractors.
“The most pressing concern facing lowernine.org today is awareness,” said Emily Stieber of lowernine.org. “Total success for lowernine.org will be when all pre-Katrina residents of the neighborhood who wish to return are back in their homes, and are living in safe and secure housing in a neighborhood free of blight.”
2017 SGIA Expo attendees will have the unique opportunity to help hurricane victims and be part of the solution to rebuilding communities devastated by hurricanes by taking home the exciting 2017 SGIA Expo shirt for just $5.
