There had always been days during the Fall that were cold and stormy, but today was different. The wind was swirling around for hours, but within the last five minutes it seemed to just stop. A distant roar partnered with an all-too-familiar siren told members of the community that it was time to seek shelter - and quickly. When the siren had stopped and the roar died down, some community members emerged to find their houses destroyed, with little or nothing to salvage. They need assistance, but where do they turn?
While the story above is entirely fictional, it serves as a necessary reminder that disasters are unpredictable and have the power to devastate hundreds and even thousands of lives within minutes. The Red Cross is working on a new initiative intended to improve partnerships with faith-based institutions to help house families in need during a disaster. Places of worship are often a symbol of comfort and peace to those affected by a disaster, and for this reason we believe that faith-based institutions should be our partners in disaster response.
The Red Cross will hold a meeting in partnership with the United Religious Community on October 22nd, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss ways in which faith-based institutions can partner with the Red Cross in disaster response. The meeting will be held at the URC office:
501 N. Main Street
South Bend, IN 46601.
More information is available at the St. Joseph County American Red Cross website at www.stjoe-redcross.org or you can e-mail Gregory Vallejos at vallejos@stjoe-redcross.org with any questions. We hope you will join us in our mission!
No comments:
Post a Comment