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From the Executive Director |
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Dear Friends, I am proud to announce the formation of Persevere Disaster Relief, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing disaster relief in the Gulf Coast area through volunteerism and service. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, I spent four and a half months in Mississippi volunteering with the Hands On USA organization. This incredibly valuable experience served as a catalyst for the creation of Persevere. Persevere is a versatile disaster relief organization able to adapt to and address the changing needs of the communities that it serves. The communities of Pass Christian, Waveland, Bay St. Louis and East Biloxi Mississippi, are in the midst of a crisis following Katrina. This stretch of coastal Mississippi is the focus of Persevere’s Katrina Relief Project. Over the next few months Persevere will continue to grow and participate in specific recovery and rebuilding projects, collaborating with the Hands On Network and similar organizations. By the end of June 2006, we hope to have realized our goal of helping facilitate groups from around the country to dozens of meaningful projects in the area. One of the biggest challenges faced by large volunteer groups visiting the area is finding meaningful work for volunteers to do. The issue is not a lack of work to be done, but rather a lack of well-organized projects for volunteers to get involved with. In response to this need, Persevere is preparing to execute recovery projects in Pass Christian, Waveland, Bay St. Louis and East Biloxi. Persevere is unique in that the organization does not have a facility to house or feed volunteers, rather we work with existing organizations that have the ability to do so. Persevere places and/or allocates volunteers at existing facilities with the projects, leadership and tools to complete them. Please help support Persevere’s efforts by donating your time, resources, or money to our mission of helping this area of the Mississippi coastline, an area that has been sadly left behind. I believe as Robert Kennedy once said, “that each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.” My hope is each volunteer that works with Persevere creates ripples that will that will both inspire and physically change areas such as Pass Christian, where the devastation is impossible to exaggerate. Together we can help these towns persevere for a brighter future. Sincerely, William J Driscoll Jr. Executive Director, Persevere Disaster Relief
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From the Exec. Director