By Kathy Yenser, AiM

“We still need help. Please don’t forget about us!”

Kara VerHage and Cindy Johnson, Lutheran Social Service (LSS) in Minnesota, heard this repeatedly on a recent trip to Mississippi and Alabama. They were amazed at the level of physical destruction that still exists since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the Gulf Coast in 2005.

Even sadder are the fears and personal struggles that people continue to face from the effects of the hurricanes. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, New Orleans is in the midst of a mental health crisis, with suicide rates having nearly tripled and the few remaining psychiatrists being swamped with cases of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and related problems.

The children who experienced the hurricanes are in various stages of recovery. Some are still afraid and depressed, suffer from sleep problems, and struggle with wondering where God is in the midst of this disaster. Other children who have progressed in their recovery need to develop a sense of empowerment and preparedness for dealing with recurring severe weather.

LSS’s partners in Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Louisiana want to reach out to the children by offering Camp Noah 1 and Camp Noah 2 this summer. Camp Noah is a therapeutic, fun-filled, faith-based, week-long day camp for children who are recovering from natural disaster. Camp Noah 1 is the basic camp. Camp Noah 2 is a new curriculum that teaches children resiliency in response to recurring severe weather.

Leaders addressing the disaster at the Gulf Coast estimate a need for 60 camps this summer. They are asking for LSS-Minnesota to staff a minimum of 30 volunteer teams for areas where they are physically and emotionally unable as a community to organize and staff a Camp Noah with local volunteers.

Lutheran Disaster Response Network of Northeastern Pennsylvania (LDRN-NEPA), a program of Lutheran Congregational Services, is actively working to locate resources within our Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod to respond to the need in the Gulf Coast for Camps Noah 1 and Noah 2.

LDRN–NEPA’s goal is to fill at least two Camp Noah teams for this summer. One team is currently being formed at Friedens Lutheran Church, Oley. In 2006, Friedens provided a team to Bayou La Batre, near Mobile, AL. This year the Friedens team will be in Grand Bay, Alabama, the week of July 29.

LDRN–NEPA is seeking the following resources to fill at least one more team and also to provide support for our teams that will be serving in the Gulf Coast area:

• Adult volunteers and youth ages 14-18 to travel to the Gulf Coast as staff for a week-long camp. Twenty volunteers are needed for each team. Teams include—

• Camp counselors responsible for leading a small group of 4-8 children each day through camp activities.
• Experience leading vacation Bible school, summer camp, or Sunday school would be helpful for counselors.
• Parish nurses
• Mental health professionals
• Chaplain
• Music leader
• Support volunteers: food workers, childcare workers, recreational assistants, and arts and crafts assistants. Support volunteers can be staffed by youth or adults while the remaining positions must be filled by adults. Volunteers are asked to commit $200 of their own money, which is used to purchase the curriculum for the camp.

• Financial support to provide transportation for volunteers, including airfare, car rental and gas. There also may be a need to drive a van or truck from Pennsylvania to the site to transport supplies that cannot be taken on the plane. Last year travel costs averaged approximately $400 per person.

• Financial support to purchase craft supplies and staff T-shirts

• Supplies to fill preparedness boxes for participants of Camp Noah 1. Contact Kathy Yenser as noted below for a list of supplies needed.

• A quilt for each child participating in camp. Quilts can be knitted, crocheted, or quilted and can be of any size that is appropriate for children between the ages of kindergarten and sixth grade. Contact Nancy Mulry at 610-481-9581 or njoswim@rcn.com for details. LDRN-NEPA will be applying for Thrivent funds, which can match dollars to hours of work put into the quilts. That means work on quilts will benefit the program in several ways.

To volunteer to serve on a camp team or to donate items for the preparedness boxes, please contact Ruth Doty (ruth@lutherancongregationalservices.org) or Denise Campbell (denise@lutherancongregationalservices.org; 610.770.9205). If you can serve on a team for Camp Noah, please contact Ruth or Denise as soon as possible.

Financial support may be sent to Lutheran Congregational Services, 1923 Hanover Avenue, Allentown, PA 18109. Memo: Disaster Ministries-Children and Youth/Camp Noah.

Please prayerfully consider how you can touch the lives of children who were so seriously affected by the destruction of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. You can help them find God in the midst of this disaster.