BBLA Opens West, Texas Relief Fund

NEW YORK - May 3, 2013 - PRLog -- New York, April 19, 2013. Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association (BBLA) leads the Czech-American community’s effort to assist with recovery in West, Texas.  After the explosion and fire at the fertilizer factory on April 17, causing many deaths and tremendous damages in a small town in Texas known for its deep Czech heritage, BBLA steps in to coordinate disaster relief efforts in New York.

BBLA has committed to donate $5,000, calling to action every New Yorker and every American to consider helping West with recovery and rebuilding of their precious community.  “We were saddened to hear about the explosion.  The Czech heritage of this small town makes it doubly important for an ethnic organization like ours to step in with a helping hand.  We want to reach out to our Czech-American community so that together we can help our compatriots down in Texas to rebuild their lives,” explained Joseph Balaz, President of BBLA.

BBLA coordinates the disaster relief assistance with the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York, the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations in New York as well as the Czech Center New York.  The BBLA’s West, Texas Relief Assistance will be further coordinated with the Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C. and other sister organizations.

All financial donations shall be directed to BBLA’s WEST, TEXAS RELIEF ACCOUNT at Chase Bank, New York, account No. 54001296365:

1. Via check payable to Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association, with a note in the memo ‘West, Texas Relief Fund’, mailed to:

Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association
321 East 73rd Street, 3rd floor, New York NY 10021

2. Via debit or credit card online: Visit www.bohemianbenevolent.org, click on ‘Make a Donation’ in the upper right corner of your screen and select ‘West, Texas Relief Fund.

3. By Phone: During our office hours Monday - Friday from 10 AM - 4 PM, you can call our Office Manager, Vladimira Siller at (212) 988-1733, ext. 2 to donate by using your debit or credit card.

BBLA is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Charitable contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

For more information please visit http://www.bohemianbenevolent.org.

Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA) is a not-for-profit organization established in 1891 in New York City as an umbrella organization for almost eighty Czech and Slovak immigrant organizations. The mission of BBLA is to preserve and support Czech and Slovak culture in New York City. BBLA’s member organizations include American Fund for Czech and Slovak Leadership Studies, Association of Free Czechoslovak Sportsmen, Czech and Slovak Solidarity Council, Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in America, Dvorak American Heritage Association and Sokol New York. BBLA is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.