By: Courtney Tsotigh-Yarholar As we continue to work with families to get into temporary housing until their homes are rebuilt, we realize the great need for funding for the long haul of helping persons rebuild their lives. One of our greatest needs is monetary donations. To date, we have disbursed close to $10,000 towards helping Native American families. Here is a testimony of a young Native American woman recalling the impact on her life as they recovered from the two tornadoes that hit Moore in 1999 and 2003. Raised in Moore, OK my family knows all too well the devastations the past couple weeks tornadoes have brought upon our neighbors. My family were victims of both the tornado disasters in 1999 and 2003. As I sat on my couch watching the May 2013 tornadoes unfold trying to wrap my head around the scale of yet another devastating disaster, the suffering of my home town and throughout Oklahoma you feel compelled to act. I immediately began to recollect on what brought our family through such a crisis. We were blessed with wonderful giving church, work, friends, family and school community and even perfect strangers who immediately took action to help us through those trying times. Then a young child I remember the truck loads of companies and organizations volunteering their resources and services. This is both significant and necessary in the wake of a disaster but realistically may only be carried out temporarily. So many have the zeal to make a difference and Make contributions but we must also keep in mind the critical sectors for both immediate relief and long-term recovery. Offering old clothes and toys is great but offering to those who have the capacity to organize those efforts is essential. Many families are without merely a closet to hang those clothes or a toy box to store those toys-they have very little to nothing. As a member of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference and recipient to their actions through the Disaster Relief team is exactly what made an impact. In reality monetary contributions no matter how big or small can be used immediately to purchase exactly what is needed and help support in the long term. I encourage individuals who feel compelled, to give what and how they are able. By supporting the Trails of H.O.P.E you are giving to over 50+ American Indian families, providing the most urgent resources and services. trailsofhopeoklahoma.wordpress
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 01:58:43 +0000
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