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March 2, 2007

Mission possible: Teens pitching in to help Katrina recovery

By TOM LAVIS

TLAVIS@TRIBDEM.COM

Hurricane Katrina victims will get a helping hand in June when 40 volunteers from a South Fork church group embark on a mission trip.

Mount Hope United Methodist Church is organizing a relief team comprised of adults and teenagers to aid residents of Moss Point, Miss., situated eight miles inland from the ravaged Gulf Coast.

Joining the mission trip are three high school sophomores who will use the relief effort as the subject of their future senior projects, a requirement for graduation.

Participating youngsters are Hilary Siverinac, 15, daughter of David and Marsha Siverinac of South Fork; Jarod Nanna, 16, son of Jeff and Janeen Nanna of Johnstown; and Brant Mollers, 16, son of Jim and Pamela Reckner of Davidsville.

“I will be keeping a diary and later create a PowerPoint presentation and a report,” Hilary said.

The students realize the mission trip has a more far-reaching benefit than providing a senior project.

“I want to get there and help some families have a better life and help improve their homes,” Hilary said.

Jarod is eager to provide as much help as possible.

“While the senior project is important for my education, the more meaningful thing is to help the people,” he said “I view this as a way of giving something back because I have never experienced anything like that.”

Volunteers will be in Mississippi on June 16-24. The mission trip members will be sheltered at Dantzler Memorial First Church in Moss Point.

Rivers surround the town, which took the brunt of the flood surge that rolled inland nearly 15 miles.

Janeen Nanna, a church member and trip organizer, said the youngsters sent out 300 letters in an appeal to help raise the money to pay for the bus.

“It costs $6,400 and they have raised about $1,700 so far,” she said. “We also have had a spaghetti dinner and pretzel sale as fundraisers.”

Raising money and awareness are top priorities for the group.

“We will have three more fundraisers prior to the trip,” Nanna said. “The next effort will be a soup and sandwich meal at noon on March 25, which also will feature a si-lent auction of items donated to the church.”

Some of the offerings include a weekend getaway package, dinners, a handmade afghan, crafts and gift certificates.

The three youngsters also participated in a mission trip in 2003.

“They were part of a team that went to Nada, Ky., to refurbish homes,” Nanna said. “The volunteers helped put in new windows and doors, painted and cleaned up.”

Dantzler Memorial’s pastor, the Rev. Da-vid Greer, will assign Mount Hope work teams to various trouble spots.

“Because of the heat in June, we will have people getting out at 7 or 7:30 in the morning,” he said in a telephone interview.

“The type of work they will be doing depends on their skill level.”

Greer painted a grim picture of what the people of his community are enduring.

Moss Point is in Jackson County, where more than 23,000 homes were destroyed and another 13,000 were heavily damaged.

Of those 13,000, only about half have received attention.

Greer said there is a need for drywall installers and general cleanup. New roofs are a priority, but he said he doesn’t ask volunteers to attempt such jobs unless they are knowledgeable and capable.

Greer said his church was spared from the flooding because it is on higher ground.

“The flood water from the surge rose to a level of six feet,” he said. “We are surrounded by three rivers and various bayous, and homes were damaged that never had a drop of water before.”

Dantzler has welcomed volunteers from all over the United States and as far away as Hong Kong.

“This has been a 24/7 operation since Katrina struck,” Greer said.

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