NewYorkSaysThankYou.org Press Release 5

Contact: Jeff Parness

917-806-8061

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Yorkers Return to Harbison Canyon on Sunday December 28

Harbison Canyon residents erect “street sign” in honor of 5-year-old NYC boy

who started cross-country relief drive to help Cedar Fire victims

SAN DIEGO – DECEMBER 27, 2003 (10:00AM PST) -- NewYorkSaysThankYou.org founder Jeff Parness, along with his family will be returning to Harbison Canyon on Sunday December 28, 2003. Joining Jeff will be his wife, Sandy Hauser, his 2 year-old son Josh, and his 5-year-old son Evan Parness who was the inspiration for the ongoing New York to San Diego cross-country relief drive and follow-up mission to help the kids and families devastated by the recent Cedar Fire.

BACKGROUND: The first two trips (1) cross-country in a U-Haul to deliver relief items to Father Joe’s Village St. Vincent de Paul on November 10^th and (2) the follow up trip on November 20^th after Evan’s New York City school collected donations to outfit a recreation center being established for the kids in Harbison Canyon along with the Lions club, were covered by local media in San Diego and New York and by CNN as the new organization was formed to honor the spirit of giving across America following the 9/11 terror attacks, hence the name NewYorkSaysThankYou.org.

On Sunday, December 28^th at 11:30AM PST, the Parness family will be meeting with the families in Harbison Canyon at the luncheon following the service at the Emanuel Christian Church temporarily being held in the tent adjacent to the community center in Old Ironside Park at 362 Harbison Canyon Road and across from Bobby’s Market. The church, along with 287 of the 388 homes in Harbison Canyon, burned in the recent wildfires. The tent is also right next door to the recreation center being established by the Lions Club and local residents and was outfitted, in part, by students of the Rodeph Sholom School in New York City where Evan attends pre-Kindergarten.

In honor of Evan’s efforts to reach out to help these families, Harbison Canyon residents erected a street sign next to the tent which reads: “Evan Parness, New York City, 3,146 miles (that way) à”

A photo of the sign (along with photos of the ongoing journey) is viewable at www.NewYorkSaysThankYou.org

The Parness’ will be bringing additional items for the recreation room in Harbison which were collected by neighbors and schoolchildren in New York City after the first two trips. Later in the week, Jeff Parness hopes to participate in the home site clean-up efforts in Harbison Canyon being coordinated by College Avenue Baptist Church in San Diego.

“First and foremost, this trip is about family,” Parness stated. “My wife and I are very excited about meeting all the families in Harbison Canyon who we consider our new friends and Evan is really looking forward to meeting some of the kids he has talked to on the phone and seen on TV. It should be a very special time for all of us.”

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For local contact information on this trip, contact Jeff Parness at 917-806-8061, Debbie Orozco, local resident Harbison Canyon at 619-249-0781, or Alice Tana, local Lions club member at 858-395-8262.

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