Over 3,000 CCC Students Mobilized for Gulf Coast Recovery Efforts
More than 600 college students descended on the hurricane-battered town of Pass Christian, Miss. over the weekend to help in the ongoing relief and recovery efforts of the town.
Over the weekend, more than 600 college students descended on the hurricane-battered town of Pass Christian, Miss., to help the ongoing relief and recovery efforts of the town.
After a massive storm surge destroyed more than 70 percent of the homes in the town, the U.S. Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI) called on college students from all its 1,298 college campuses to join the Katrina relief effort in the Gulf Coast. Thus far, the students have gutted 375 of the 500 flooded homes left still standing after Katrina.
"Campus Crusade has been a godsend," says Lou Rissardi, Alderman for Pass Christian to the campus ministry. "They've sent a lot of students down at a very difficult time to do a very unpleasant job. Even more than the physical help, the smiling faces, positive attitude and youthful enthusiasm of the students have been a real boost to the morale of all of us here."
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The new wave of students joins the 2,300 students already sent by Campus Crusade for Christ to participate in relief efforts in Mississippi and Louisiana since September.
The initial call was made late September, and during the first two weeks, more than 350 students signed on. Campus Crusade works in tandem with churches and Christian relief agencies, such as the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Convoy of Hope and its own Global Aid Network, which are working on projects in Slidell, Ponchatoula, and Minden, La., and Waveland, Miss.
"We are participating in the physical and spiritual rebirth of a whole town," explains Rick Amos, coordinator of Katrina Relief Efforts for Campus Crusade. "While helping meet the physical needs of people whose homes have been destroyed, students are also meeting the spiritual and emotional needs of Pass Christian residents as they demonstrate their love and share a message of hope and comfort."
Jen Smoker and Lisa Menard, who drove 20 hours from Towson University in Baltimore to help clean out ruined homes in Slidell, La., in September, said they showed love to homeowners by wrapping their arms around them. The hurricane victims had been emotionally shaken from seeing all their belongings thrown into a trash pile.
“I had no idea what to say, but knew that they needed us,” Smoker recalled.
Campus Crusade plans to send thousands more to help finish the clean-up and rebuilding Pass Christian on weekends and holidays through to summer 2006.
Campus Crusade is providing volunteers with Bibles and an evangelistic piece entitled “Higher Ground” as a way to initiate spiritual conversations.
Other ministries belonging to Campus Crusade for Christ International have joined in relief efforts including the Global Aid Network, Here's Life Inner City, Athletes in Action, and Priority Associates.
For more information on how the U.S. Campus Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ is helping Katrina relief efforts, visit the campuscrusadeforchrist.com.
