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Special Needs Programs
New Orleans.
According to Arthine Vicks, Executive Director via cell phone, the
Catholic Deaf Ministry in New Orleans had a lot of damage to their
Church and Center. All staff members are safe, but some of them lost
everything they had. All of them are staying in temporary homes outside
of New Orleans . The office is also in a temporary location outside of
New Orleans . Checks should be made payable to Blessed Seelos Parish
Deaf Community and sent to
Blessed Seelos Parish, Deaf Community,
3053 Dauphine Street,
New Orleans, LA 70117 -6724.
They will be forwarded to temporary headquarters. Funds will be used for the Church and for
individual Deaf families most in need.
Gulf Port ,
Mississippi.
According to Greg Crapo, Executive Director ( September 4, 2005 ), "The
Deaf Center survived better than most. We have some roof damage and
lost all our trees. We will be without power for some time as our area
was devastated pretty badly. Any donations would be much appreciated.
I am writing to you from home as I have power, but no internet
connection yet. I am writing this on Sunday night, but do not know when
it will send.
We are
in the process of finding our staff and deaf clients and determining the
needs they have right now. Money will be the biggest thing we can use,
as goods are beginning to flow in, we just need money to purchase them.
Anything you and yours can do to help would be a God Send. Many of our
churches have been completely destroyed and almost all suffered damage
of some sort." Make checks payable to de L'Epee Deaf Center, Inc. and
mail to:
de L'Epee Deaf Center, Inc., 1450 North Street,
Gulfport, MS 39507-2103.
Baton rouge
, Louisiana
. William Dugas, Executive Director of the
Catholic Deaf Center asked that I share the following message with you:
Dear
friends in Christ:
We are
all fine here in Baton Rouge . But our neighbors next door from the New
Orleans and Gulfport area are not. We have thousands of displaced
evacuees on the local, state and national level. Here are some
suggestions for you to do. If there is a shelter in your area that has
taken some evacuees from these areas, check and see if there are deaf
people in the shelters. The deaf people we are finding the shelters here
are lost and confused. Many people were put on buses and planes and did
not know where they were going. Many are separated from families. Get
the local deaf agencies or yourself to go to see how they are doing.
Please pray for the displaced deaf people and those who are serving them
at this hour of need.
There is
a coordinated effort with the local deaf churches and deaf agencies to
help with the disaster. Many have come by my office that lost
everything. Anything you send would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!"
Make checks payable to " Catholic Deaf Center " designated "Hurricane
Katrina Relief" and send them to:
Catholic Deaf Center, C/O Bill Dugas,
2585 Brightside Dr., Baton Rouge
, La 70820
Additional
Resources
ARTICLES FROM: 2005, Vol.
XXVIIl, No. 2
Faith in Deaf Culture
Founder of the National Catholic Office for the Deaf Dies in St. Louis
And the Journey Begins
A Meeting Between Brother Roger of Taize
Knights of Columbus Award NCOD a Grant
Religious Sign Project Committee Meets
Hurricane Katrina
What I have Seen and Heard
Spirituality for the Deaf
NCOD Executive Director Position
Articles and Photographs from Previous Issues
Our
Churches Respond
Greek
Orthodox Church
Hurricane Relief
By Dee Nicolaou
Hurricane
Katrina Relief Chairperson
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…” Isaiah 43:2
The devastation and destruction wrought by
hurricanes in our Metropolis of Atlanta that encompasses eight states
and sixty-seven parishes for the past two years is almost unimaginable.
The distress and need of all our brothers and sisters affected by these
natural disasters is immense. We prayed that God would give us the
wisdom, strength and resources to alleviate the sufferings of our poor
brothers and sisters.
Distributions centers were set up in the
Biloxi, Mobile, Baton Rogue and other areas to help all those in need.
Supplies were shipped from all over the United States to these
distribution points.
Dee Nicolaou,
the Metropolis of Atlanta Philoptochos (friends of the poor needy and
suffering) President was appointed by His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios
of Atlanta to be the Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief Chairman, and as
the contact point and liaison between IOCC and the Red Cross, as well as
our Archdiocesan agencies who wished to offer their aid and to
distribute collected funds in a timely manner.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese set up the
Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief Fund, which is being used to address
the needs of the Greek Orthodox communities, as well as for assisting
the general relief efforts through out the South.
The Hurricane
Katrina Disaster Relief Fund has collected funds in excess of $900,000.
In addition to this fund, the Archdiocese, the National Philoptochos
Society and Leadership 100 has made a generous contribution of $250,000
to International Orthodox Christian Charities for their efforts to help
our fellow man Orthodox and Non - Orthodox.
To date, the Archdiocese and the
Metropolis of Atlanta has distributed over $500,000 to our fellow
Orthodox brothers and sisters in Christ with more claims being processed
everyday. In order to help as many people as possible, it was necessary
to set guidelines. The current guidelines were established to help those
with the most needs first. The guidelines are as follows:
1.To
help those who have no insurance or lack of necessary coverage
2.To
help those who have total loss of income
3.To
help those who need money for rent or temporary housing
4.To
help those who cannot pay their insurance deductibles
The Greek
Orthodox National Philoptochos Society are humbled and grateful to be
able to assist a number of our Orthodox brothers and sisters with
temporary housing expenses, as well as the purchasing of major necessary
appliances, through their donation of $98,000 towards the Katrina
Disaster Relief Fund.
Philoptochos’ help is far from over as the crisis is ongoing and
continuous to help to provide the hope, the trust, and the confidence
that the lives of these families will be improved with their support and
assistance. The rebuilding of this hope, this trust, and this confidence
may be accomplished through the National Philoptochos Society Adopt a
Family Project.
This
voluntary project addresses the immediate, short, and long-term needs of
primarily the Orthodox victims of the Gulf Coast tragedy. After a long
and arduous process to locate all the families in need, a list was
compiled with information about the families, along with a registry of
their basic needs. The needs are vital, necessary and large beyond
imagination. Most of the families have lost everything we take for
granted on a day-to-day basis. The needs include sheets and towels,
dining and kitchen implements, small appliances, kitchen, bedroom and
living room furnishings, clothing, bedding, toys, books and calling
cards.
The churches or Philoptochos chapters (approx 500 in the United States)
would like to assist and support this project by sponsoring a family,
they can do so with a donation of the actual item(s)in need or a gift
card to stores, such as, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Circuit
City, Belk’s, Sears, JC Penney's, Dillard’s, Old Navy, Winn-Dixie Food
Stores, Toy's R Us, Home Depot, Lowe’s, or an American Express gift
certificates.
Also, we
are working with people who have special needs to see that their needs
are met. We are sending depends, wheelchairs, bath and tub supports,
lifting recliner chairs, walkers and any other medically necessary
items.
While
the devastation was great and many people were impacted by this tragedy,
there has been an overwhelming national response of love and concern
from all religions that are united in our mission to help the less
fortunate. Thank you for letting the Greek Orthodox Church be part of
this special commission to rebuild the Gulf Region.
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