The UMCOR Hotline

March 15, 2005

South Asia: More Young Humanitarians Demonstrate Heart
Young United Methodists from coast-to-coast have shown that humanitarian service need not be the sole province of adults. UMCOR has enjoyed these stories:

• In Tucumcari, NM, more than 20 United Methodist youth invited community residents to contribute supplies for assembly of health kits. "They preferred to send something physical rather than just money," said their adviser Stephanie Harman, a member of Center Street United Methodist Church.
• Cars from five states lined up at the Ridgefield, CT, youth car wash that yielded over $4,000 for tsunami relief. The Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church added another $7,000 from its fall pumpkin sale to the efforts of the young people, and sponsored a rock concert to raise additional relief funds.
• More than 300 teens turned out for a "Napoleon Dynamite"-themed fundraiser in the Dallas, TX, area. Organizers designated the $1,400 proceeds from the costume and movie party for UMCOR's South Asia relief efforts.
• What started out as a modest project by a 17-year-old Life Scout provided 27 Medicine Boxes - over $12,000 - to assist the most vulnerable. Richard Parrish, Jr., Carmel, IN, inspired his congregation, St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, and his friends in the youth group to go above and beyond his goal of five boxes. One box contains enough prescription and over-the-counter drugs to treat common ailments of about 1,000 people for three months. So the gifts of Richard and his friends will assist some 27,000 people.

You can join these young people as partners with UMCOR through your prayers and gifts to UMCOR Advance #274305, South Asia Emergency. UMCOR plans long-term recovery operations in Sri Lanka and Indonesia - replacing lost income, rebuilding homes, rehabilitating contaminated soil, and other life-giving ministries.

United States: Hurricane Recovery Seeks Volunteers
If you're planning a mission trip this spring or summer, consider helping to speed roof replacement all over Florida and other regions devastated by last year's multiple hurricanes. Thousands of volunteers are needed to do the "heavy lifting" of rebuilding roofs, walls, and interiors for homes in the Southeast. Much work remains in areas of Alabama as well. UMCOR's volunteer hotline will act as a clearinghouse for the many sites that need volunteers. To find out where the needs are greatest and obtain a local contact, please call toll free, 1-800-918-3100. Or let your generous contributions go for you - please give to UMCOR Advance #982410, Hurricanes 2004.

Balkans: Anti-trafficking Workshop Will Strengthen Efforts
UMCOR's field office in Kosovo will host a workshop on the problem of human trafficking in the Balkans. The focus of the two-day event will be the exploitation of women and girls. As part of its peace-building mandate, UMCOR supports additional anti-trafficking initiatives in Afghanistan, where last year it helped reintegrate more than 300 exploited children into their families, and in Georgia, where youth houses play a key role in alerting communities to signs and prevention of trafficking. You can assist these critical efforts through your gifts to UMCOR Advance #333615, Anti-trafficking.

Sudan: First Report of UMCOR Team
UMCOR's Sudan field team will make its headquarters in Al Daein, about 100 miles from South Darfur's regional capital of Nyala. The area hosts more than 14 camps for displaced persons. Fresh water, sanitation, and emergency supplies are critical needs, the team says. The worst drought in 50 years there could impair peaceful distribution of water and other supplies. The team is designing distribution logistics to avoid differences. Access to equipment is via airlift. Please pray for these newest UMCOR team members and offer support in your gifts to UMCOR Advance #184385, Sudan Emergency.

UMCOR provides emergency relief in many areas of the world. To find out more about UMCOR's ministries, please visit umcor.org. You can donate to any project by placing a contribution in the offering plate at a local United Methodist church; by sending a check to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068; or by calling 1-800-554-8583, where credit card donations are accepted. UMCOR is exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States and qualifies for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors.

And, please pray for those who are hungry, displaced, sick or in poverty because of these and other natural and human-made disasters, and for the workers who minister to them.