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UUSGS traveling to New Orleans to aid those affected by Katrina

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD While the re-building of the Gulf Coast may not get the national attention it once did, Rev. Georganne Greene of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield (UUSGS) said there is much work yet to be done.

"Volunteerism is declining as the disaster fades from our radar screen, yet the need remains huge. With over 200,000 homes destroyed in New Orleans alone, large areas still remain more or less unchanged since August 2005," she said.

A group of about 30 people from the Springfield church will work in New Orleans as volunteers next month. They will leave on March 8 and return on March 15.

Greene explained to Reminder Publications that the denomination has established a permanent volunteer operation in New Orleans and hosts crews of volunteers from congregations from around the nation.

Most of the group will be paying for their travel expenses, although the church has raised money to offer assistance to three members of the party, Greene said. The group will stay at a hostel established by the denomination.

She said that once the group arrives it will participate in a class that presents a dialogue about class and race and the impacts of Hurricane Katrina. Their skills will be then evaluated and assigned to on-going rebuilding programs operated by groups such as Habitat for Humanity.

The local church's effort is helping to close "this festering wound" caused by the hurricane and flood, Greene said.

"We look forward to being changed, both through our experience with the people there and through working together with our teammates from UUSGS. We're grateful to have this opportunity, "Greene said.

Those interested in making a contribution or learning more about the volunteer effort should call the church at 736-2324.