Newsline: Grant supports Brethren disaster rebuilding site in Virginia

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl 
Brumbaugh-Cayford, 800-323-8039 ext. 260, cobnews@brethren.org

Grant supports Brethren disaster rebuilding site in Virginia

(April 20, 2012) Elgin, IL --A grant of $30,000 from the Church of the 
Brethren's Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) continues support for a Brethren 
Disaster Ministries rebuilding site in Pulaski County, Va.

This is an additional allocation for the project site, with previous 
allocations totaling $30,000.

The Brethren rebuilding effort follows two devastating tornadoes in the towns 
of Pulaski and Draper, Va. Since late summer 2011, more than 400 volunteers 
have completed five new homes and helped repair dozens more.

The grant will underwrite operational expenses related to volunteer support, 
including housing, food, and travel expenses incurred onsite as well as 
volunteer training, tools, and equipment needed for rebuilding and repair.

Recently Brethren Disaster Ministries was asked to participate in a pilot 
project coupling its volunteer labor with block grant funds received by a local 
partner organization. The request includes the need to build three more homes 
for disaster survivors.

Brethren Disaster Ministries anticipates that with the current caseload and 
upcoming projects, work will continue at the Pulaski County site through the 
summer.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing 
the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in 
community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith 
traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated its 
300th anniversary in 2008. It counts some 123,000 members across the United 
States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, 
Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org