Email Update with Correction

I inadvertently typed that many teams are scheduling for Spring Break when I meant to say Summer, one may be as large as 100. Thanks to my editor ;-)

Here's the rest of that update:

Team 21 pictures are below on the last update to the blog.

Team 22 is Melissa Gauder and Jessica Pugh, small but mighty and working in Enterprise Alabama roofing houses damaged by the massive tornado a couple weeks ago. Lack of Internet is preventing them from getting updates to us, but they are working hard and being productive.

Team 23 leaves Saturday! 33 people from Marysville Church of Christ youth group and Westerville Christian will spend the week back in Bayou La Batre to finish some of the work we started but needed parts for and pick up some more.

I’ll be taking Team 24 to Chalmette for reconstruction work, leaving April fools day. That’ll be 25 people from Westerville Christian and Grove City Christian School.

We have many teams scheduling for Summer. One made up of Westerville High School students may be as large as 100! The estimated volunteer load this summer may be 10 times last year. There will be plenty of opportunity to go if you missed spring break. Hilltop (www.hilltoprescue.org) is setting up to supplement the work in Bayou La Batre with a 6 week work camp from June 15-July 27.

All these trips are going to require funding. We’re hitting the bottom of the account after Spring Break and will be asking for donations. If you have fundraiser plans you’d like to implement for Servants Unite, please let me know.

As always, summer teams are on call for initial disaster relief should a new storm strike. In that case you’ll see the following happen:

• Our partners will set up base camps to host volunteers
• We will organize collection, packaging and shipping of food, water, and other supplies into the new disaster zone
• Our scheduled teams will redirect to that area for critical relief support
• We will collect our first responders and medical volunteers to send in right behind the storm

To do that, we need:

• Relationships and contingency plans with those partners – This I am continuing to build
• Churches to host dropoff locations – Need 4 in each large Ohio city and one or two in smaller locales
• Volunteers to collect and package food – 3 leads and 20 volunteers per location
• Packaging materials and logistic plans – I am developing these with partners
• Transportation for first response – similar to our current work + personal work vehicles and won’t need much adjustment
• First responders and medical types – If you have told me you would do this previously please re-up for this year and we need many more.

God continues to bless this organization and it continues to grow. I’m putting a full time effort into that task, but even with that, I can’t do it alone. Planning for and executing another first response effort that we are capable of takes a lot of people to help. These roles are the ones I need filled immediately. Please send me a note with your availability and ideas.

Thanks for your continued support!

Servants Unite!