"Resilient people do not allow adversity to drain their resolve; They find a way to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and keep going with a strong belief that things can and will get better." – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.On Saturday, January 18th, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., volunteers from the New York City Church of Christ, Central Jersey Church of Christ and the Shore Points Church will do their part to help those still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Sandy continue to move forward toward recovery. In the fourteen months since Sandy hit the east coast, volunteers from near and far have stepped up to operate shelters, feed the displaced, muck out homes and provide emotional support to those devastated by the storm. But there is still much work to be done in the hard-hit communities of New Jersey and New York and the HOPE worldwide Hurricane Sandy Recovery Program, funded by a generous grant from the American Red Cross, is actively addressing these physical and emotional needs.
Staten Island, NY
New York volunteers have teamed up with Yellow Boots, World Cares Center, Project Hospitality and the New York City Church of Christ, to help rebuild homes and lives in the Staten Island communities of Midland Beach and New Dorp. As Sandy left thousands of homes in Staten Island in need of desperate repair with hundreds still unfit to live in, the HOPE worldwide Hurricane Sandy Recovery Program will kick off this partnership on Saturday, January 18th as part of the Martin Luther King National Day of Service, and continue to provide much needed on-going volunteer labor to meet the repair and rebuild needs of these Sandy victims. Over 60 disciples have registered to do repair work to at least eight Sandy damaged homes in Staten Island. While it may be difficult to find a silver lining in disasters like Hurricane Sandy, the outpouring of volunteers like these continues to reveal the heart of a caring nation.
Central New Jersey
In Central Jersey, HOPE worldwide and American Red Cross volunteers will honor Dr. King with a youth essay contest before heading out to distribute critical disaster preparedness and recovery information to over 5,000 residents in Union Beach, Asbury Park, Toms River and Lakewood, New Jersey. Included in the packet is information about HOPE worldwide’s youth resiliency programs debuting next month to aid children impacted by the storm. The first program, the SPARK (Sandy Program in Arts Resiliency for Kids) Academy, will serve students in the hard hit town of Union Beach through an arts healing curriculum and will include classes in performing arts, visual arts and character through sport. The SPARK Academy is slated to begin on February 8th at Memorial School in Union Beach. HOPE worldwide, Central Jersey Chapter Executive Horacio Piccininno says, “The Central Jersey Chapter has been helping homeowners rebuild their lives, thanks to the American Red Cross we now have resources to be able to help the children whose lives have been turned upside down by super storm Sandy. We look forward to this partnership and to make a big impact on the Jersey Shore.”
“HOPE worldwide has a long history in providing programs around Youth Resiliency during Hurricane Katrina that was one of the central focuses of our work. I am confident that the volunteers will be able to have the same kind of impact for youth adversely affected by Hurricane Sandy in Central New Jersey,” states Antonio Boyd, Vice President of HOPE worldwide’s Community Services Division.
During his lifetime, Dr. King sought to forge the common ground on which people from all walks of life could join together as equals to address important community issues. Service, he realized, was the great equalizer. As he stated, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” In recognition of that spirit, Congress in 1994 passed the King Holiday and Service Act. Since then, the King Holiday has been transformed into a day of service to meet community needs. The celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is a signature event for HOPE worldwide chapters.
