Faith in the Face of Disaster: UU Response to Hurricane Katrina and Rita, 2005

UUA-UUSC Gulf Coast Relief

UUA-UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Fund Update: At the end of 2006, the relief fund has received $3,622,250, thanks to the matching grant offered by the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock. Thank you for your generosity! To date, $2,366,387 has been spent to directly serve those in need. How to Make a Donation to the UUA-UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Fund Your Donations at Work: List of Grantees and Grants

UU Volunteers at Work

UUSC volunteer Elandria Williams (right) of Powell, TN, helps load cleaning supplies at the Resurrection of Our Lord School in New Orleans. With her is a member of the school's staff. (Photo by Nikki Rivera/UUSC)

As the news of the horrible aftermath from Hurricane Katrina filtered in, the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations and the independent Unitarian Universalist Service Committee mobilized to find a way to help the victims of the devastation.  Within 48 hours of the storm, Rev. William Sinkford called for contributions to the UUA-UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Fund (GCRF).

The response of UUs from around the nation has been tremendous. We raised $90,000 in the first 36 hours of the fund's existence. As of May 26, nearly eight months after the storms of September 2006 ravaged the Gulf Coast, contributions to the fund have topped $3.5 million dollars. Congregations and individuals have stepped up the face of disaster and injustice in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Ministers and staff people are working hard in our Gulf Coast congregations to continue their ministry amidst recovery efforts. UUs have traveled to the Gulf Coast to support area residents, UU and non-UU alike, in rebuilding and recovering their homes and their lives. Thank you for your generosity of funds, time, labor, love and spirit!

The UUA/UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Panel joined our Gulf Coast Congregations and Community Partners in commemorating the one-year anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. Please visit "Voices From the Gulf" to read reflections from those whose relief and recovery efforts continue in the Gulf Coast.

This site is a clearing house for information on Unitarian Universalist response to the Hurricanes of 2005. You will find resources on How to Volunteer, How to Donate to the relief fund, and Official Reports and News Articles from the Gulf Coast. Click on links to learn more about the Congregations Most Affected by the storms and the Community Partners who have been funded with UUA/UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Funds.

Contact: For general inquiries or to reach the UUA/UUSC Gulf Coast Funding Panel, you may email gulfcoastrelief@uua.org .

How You Can Help

Download the "Gulf Coast Relief How You Can Help Brochure " to share with your congregation! Print double-sided in color or black and white and tri-fold for an attractive brochure with all the information you need to make a difference in the Gulf Coast!

How to Volunteer in the Gulf Coast
Your help is needed! Click here for information on volunteer opportunities for congregations and individuals in Louisiana and Mississippi.

How to Donate to the UUA-UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Fund
Your contributions make a difference. Click here to give by check or credit card to Congregational Community Funds or direct your donation where it is most needed. Thank you!

Advocacy Resources
There are many advocacy efforts being coordinated by interfaith and national community-based organizations for UUs to join and strengthen.

Our Work in the Gulf Coast

UU Volunteers at Work

Your Donations at Work!
Thank you for your contribution to the Gulf Coast Relief Fund. Click here for a list of Grantees and Grants and see your donation at work!

Funding Criteria and Relief Goals

Congregations Directly Affected
UU Congregations in the Gulf Coast and surrounding areas have survived the storms of September 2005. Click here to learn more about the people, places and perseverance of the UU Congregations directly affected by Katrina and Rita.

Community Partners
Two-Thirds of the UUA/UUSC Gulf Coast Relief funds are allocated to assist in community reconstruction and organization. Click here for links to Community Organizations which have received funds from the UUA/UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Fund.

Relief Panel and Partner Reports
Download official reports The Gulf Coast Relief Panel meetings and in-depth coverage of the work of UUA/UUSC and Partners in the Gulf Coast.

News from the Gulf Coast
Links to articles from the UU World and other news sources on the work of Unitarian Universalists in the Gulf Coast.

Unitarian Universalists Respond

Staff and Volunteers
Click for membership lists of Gulf Coast Relief Working Groups and information on staff members working in the Gulf Coast.

Meet the Funding Panel
Biographies of the members of the Gulf Coast Relief Funding Panel.

Unitarian Universalist Trauma Response Ministry
The UU Trauma Response Ministry is active in the Gulf Coast area providing aid to those who need support, as are individual UU social workers, ministers, and other relief workers.

Sermons and Readings
Click here for sermons from ministers in the Gulf Coast and around the country. Readings from the Funding Panel.

Pastoral Messages from Rev. Bill Sinkford, UUA President

Faith in the Face of Disaster
UUA feature articles by Deb Weiner and other UUA Staff.

• August 2006: Hurricane Katrina, one year later: Profiling Gulf Coast Relief Fund partners
  • Mary Croom-Fontenot and ACT
  • Vicky Cintra and MIRA
• May 2006: Rising like the Phoenix: UUA-UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Funds Support New Orleanians Working to Restore the City of Jazz
• September 2005: Unitarian Universalist Response to Hurricane Katrina

Blogging the Storms

• A Personal View of Disaster: The Diary of Annette Marquis, Fall 2005
• Letters from the Gulf: Journal of Reverand Jacqueline Luck, Fall 2005

Please direct any questions or concerns about the work or website of the Gulf Coast Relief Program to gulfcoastrelief@uua.org . Your inquiry will be addressed as soon as possible.

Unitarian Universalist Association
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