Lynn Case -- Volunteer Experience in Biloxi, MS, January 7-16, 2006

The time is always right to do what is right. -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lynn (me wearing mask, hard hat, gloves and goggles) pulling nails from stud walls at Lester's house - called "mucking." This was to prepare the house for spraying with bleach to rid it of mold before rebuilding could begin.

It was the right thing to do -- to go with 13 members of my church (Lakeview Lutheran, Madison WI) to Biloxi, MS to spend a week doing hurricane relief work for Lutheran/Episcopal Disaster Response. It was the experience of a lifetime. If you are considering going to help our brothers and sisters in the Gulf States, I would urge you to go -- to do the right thing. So much help is needed and will be needed for months and years to come.

LDR expects to be in Biloxi for eight years, and I know there are many other volunteer groups helping out too (Methodists, Presbyterians, Jehovah’s Witness, Campus Crusade, Samaritan’s Purse-Franklin/Billy Graham – to name a few that we saw). If you do go, please consider going with an authorized group of volunteers as many of the hotels and restaurants are gone and you will need a place to stay and eat. (We stayed in bunk beds in large tents at the LDR Tent City – 40 bunks to a tent; porta-potties, showers built on a semi truck, a mess tent for meals). You need someone to determine the projects that need doing and whether your group has the necessary skills to do them. A relief organization can do that for a group of volunteers. You need your own transportation – many roads are still closed and everyone needs to provide their own way to worksites.

The best thing you can do is to plan carefully and get good information from those who are or have been there to work. While much of the general cleanup is done there is still much more to do – everything from tree trimming and yard cleanup to get rid of the enormous amount of debris. As the work goes on, more skilled workers and long term volunteers will be needed to do dry wall, insulation, roofing, siding, etc.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about my experience, please contact Lynn Case at the Wisconsin Regional Office of Church World Service 1-888-297-2767.

CWS Hurricane Katrina and Rita Support as of 2/7/06

Church World Service does not have volunteers in the Gulf States area but supports their work through Disaster Response Liaisons Tim Johnson and Tom Davies who meet regularly with Interfaith Task Forces in the Area to assess the situation and need for supplies. To date (2/27) CWS has sent more than 70 shipments valued at $1.7 million to seven states assisting Hurricane Katrina survivors including:

27,870 Blankets
83,978 Health Kits
9,720 School Kits
5,435 Emergency Clean-up Buckets
808 Kids Kits
675 Baby Kits
22 Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA) Medicine Boxes
48 UNICEF Recreational Kits

CWS has distributed $ 86,500 in grants to develop and support long-term recovery organizations.

CWS/Immigration and Refugee Program (Miami and eight affiliate offices) served more than 5,000 people in ten states displaced by the hurricanes, assisting with relocation, finding jobs, access to health care, affordable housing, enrolling children in school, etc.

Back to top

Emma Landowski, (red sweater, age 10) and her sisters Johanna (right, age 9), Olivia (left, age 8) and Sophia (front, age 6) raised $200 for CWS and Hurricane Katrina victims by knitting scarves and selling them at a dentist office for $18 each. Of the $18 raised, $8 goes for supplies, $6 for the mission project and the girls get to keep $4 - $2 for themselves and $2 goes into the bank.

Not only are the girls supporting CWS with their gift, they have raised enough money selling their scarves to buy 10 sewing machines at $75 each for their church mission project in India. The family belongs to Immanuel United Church of Christ in West Bend Wisconsin. The girls are home-schooled by their mother Jennifer who doesn’t knit herself. They were taught to knit by their aunt and Mother’s sister.

Back to top

Dennis Metzger

Church World Service provides the needed expertise to design any gift or bequest that most effectively accomplishes your personal and charitable goals. CWS Planned Giving Team is available to design a gift tailored to each donor’s special specifications. Your Legacy Awaits: call on the CWS team to help you plan your estate, give from your estate without changing your will, plan a life or immediate gift, etc.

Dennis Metzger, Planned Giving and Development Associate, is available for consultation upon request. CWS will provide a list of projects and offers the possibility for a church to fund a CWS project of its choice.

Call the CWS/CROP-Wisconsin Regional office at 608-222-7008 or toll free 888-297-2767 to arrange an interview with Dennis or with any member of the CWS team.

Back to top