ELCA NEWS SERVICE
February 21, 2006
College-Age Lutherans Head to U.S. Gulf Coast for Spring Break 06-025-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Some Lutheran college students are planning to spend their spring break this year in the U.S. Gulf Coast mucking out homes, tearing down drywall and bleaching moldy walls in an effort to rebuild homes damaged during the 2005 hurricane season. Through "What a Relief!" -- an opportunity for students and others in campus communities to get involved in disaster relief work -- some students said their plans for spring break will have an impact on their "life and faith."
"I see it as an amazing experience to be a part of something that is so much bigger than me," said Patrick Jenkins, a senior at Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, and member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Canton, Ill. Jenkins said he hopes the experience will "impact my life and faith, as well as the people I meet and work alongside."
"I hope there is unity among the people who are heading down to help" and among people who have been working there for quite some time, said Jenkins. "I also hope to learn something from the folks and churches in the area that have experienced everything from the start," he said.
For Nicole R. Rigby, a junior at Carthage College, Kenosha, Wis., participating in What a Relief! allows her another chance to participate in Hurricane Katrina relief operations. Carthage is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
"Over Christmas break I volunteered in Mississippi, along with my dad and sister," said Rigby. That experience and "seeing the needs of people there has (remained) in my heart," she said. "I listened to many stories of people's experiences, and my eyes were open. People were very grateful for volunteers. I kept hearing, 'God bless you volunteers. If it weren't for you, we would have never made it,'" said Rigby.
"I am anxious to get back to work. When I left Mississippi, I had the feeling of leaving a job undone," she said.
Representing 55 U.S. colleges and universities, about 1,100 students will participate in What a Relief! Coordinated in part by Lutheran Disaster Response, 16 of the ELCA's 28 college and universities are participating in the program. Based here, Lutheran Disaster Response is a national ministry of the ELCA and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
"We need volunteers for months and years to come," said Heather L. Feltman, director for Lutheran Disaster Response and ELCA Domestic Disaster Response. "Our focus is to provide the orientation necessary" to secure a good experience and "to assure that all of our volunteers have a safe and effective experience," she said.
Feltman said thousands of volunteers from across the country have already made a significant difference in the lives of people who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina and other hurricanes last year.
"Tens of thousands of people were displaced from their homes, lost their jobs and lost all of their earthly possessions as a result of Hurricane Katrina," said Feltman. "Recovery in hurricane-affected areas has been projected to take eight to 10 years. Through What a Relief! we are seeking to refocus the spotlight in the Gulf Coast through the work of 1,100 student volunteers, who will be working there in the next several months," she said.
Housing for volunteers is limited, "so scheduling trips with Lutheran Disaster Response's volunteer housing staff in the Gulf Coast is essential," said Feltman. Information about Lutheran Disaster Response, volunteer opportunities and housing is at http://www.ldr.org on the Internet.
Students volunteering to take down moldy drywall and other construction activities are required to have "an up-to-date tetanus shot, respirator and throw-away painter's wear," said Michael D. Nevergall, associate for program interpretation, Lutheran Disaster Response. "Although we are not intentionally placing students in danger, there are precautions to be taken for everyone's safety," he said.
Nevergall said students will be dispatched to work in a variety of hurricane-affected communities where Lutheran Disaster Response work sites have been set up, including Bayou Le Batre, Ala.; Port Charlotte, Fla.; New Orleans; Slidell, La.; Biloxi, Miss.; and Ocean Springs, Miss. Lutheran churches in these and other areas will be providing housing for students and other volunteers. - - - DOMESTIC DISASTERS:
Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds to aid survivors of major disasters inside the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, please include:
ELCA Domestic Disaster Response, P.O. Box 71764, Chicago, Illinois 60694-1764 Credit card gift line: 1-800-638-3522 Credit card gifts via Internet: http://www.ELCA.org/disaster/katrina
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog