JERSEY JACK

By Jack Guarnieri, PinballSales.com & ShuffleAlley.com

Charity Begins At Home

There's something we have all heard. Maybe these past weeks since Hurricane Katrina we have thought about it more. The images of people losing everything, suffering tragic losses of property and loved ones, are overwhelming.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, I think many of us feel much the same way we did after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 four years ago. There are differences, but also similarities, between the two events. There are plenty of people to blame for why response was slow or why residents were not evacuated sooner. The bottom line is that we must learn from this tragedy, and we can start by helping those people affected by the storm to begin rebuilding their lives.

This will take a monumental and ongoing effort to put things back. Even with hard work, money, patience and psychological help, it will never be the way it was for any of the victims or their families. Each one of us has a responsibility to do something to help in whatever way we can. The largest natural disaster to hit the United States will have a huge impact on all of us, and we can all do something to make it a bit easier for the victims.

The people, companies and associations in our industry have rallied to raise money to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and that is great. Many people in our industry have been hurt and need our help as well. This is not the best of times.

Watching the news coverage and seeing the devastation makes us all realize that we should be thankful for what we have. It makes us more sensitive to how fragile and uncertain life really is and how we can sometimes hold material things as being overly important. We saw people on TV who lost their homes and possessions and held onto rescued family members saying they were happy to just be alive; that drove the point home with all of us.

Out of the devastation will come rebirth. With this tragedy it seems to me that new opportunities will bloom. The billions of dollars that will be pumped into the region will spur a building boom for those who love the region. Everything needs to be rebuilt. The area covers the size of the United Kingdom. Imagine all of the jobs that will be created and the vibrant beautiful cities that will come alive again.

This storm hit an area that was home to some of the poorest people in the United States. These people had almost nothing, but whatever they had it was theirs. Maybe with the boom and rebirth of investment these people can be trained in a skill and work to raise themselves out of poverty. Maybe this is a wake-up call to all of us that there needs to be more done to help each other here at home, where charity is supposed to begin.

Jack Guarnieri started fixing electro-mechanical pinball machines in 1975 and has been involved in every phase of the coin-op game business since then. He operated a substantial game route in Brooklyn, N.Y., developed amusement centers and was called in as a consultant to manage Mondial Distributing and State Sales in New Jersey. In 1999, he founded PinballSales.com to sell coin-op to the home market. In 2002, he founded ShuffleAlley.com and released the Parker Bohn III Pro Bowler game, reviving the shuffle alley. His positive attitude, honest insights and opinions have made him a popular figure in the trade. While managing and growing his businesses, he still consults inside and outside the industry, and his marketing, promotional and business management expertise are widely sought. He's very active in his church, community and charitable causes as well. You can learn more at his websites (www.PinballSales.com and www.ShuffleAlley.com) or by phoning him at 866/323-JACK. Email is Jack@Pinballsales.com.

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