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

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