Across Gilroy, efforts begin to lend a helping hand to the
hurricane victims
Gilroy – While Louisiana and Mississippi residents wish they could escape the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, Lee Petersen and Laurie Goldsmith can’t wait to get the Gulf Coast.
Lee Petersen who lives part-time in Gilroy and works for the Santa Clara Valley Water District called the American Red Cross Tuesday to see what he could do to help after the hurricane destroyed cities along the gulf with winds up to 175 miles per hour.
“I didn’t think the storm would be that bad. It was small when it went across Miami,” Petersen said. “It shocked everyone to see kids running around in neck-deep water [on the news].”
Petersen is in a unique position to help. He has experience working in disaster areas as a volunteer with the California Department of Forestry and has worked with flood control through the water district.
Still, when he told his wife of his plans, she took it hard.
“She said ‘Why do you have to go?’ and I said if everyone thought that way no one would go,” he said.
Petersen will train with the American Red Cross Thursday and should be deployed the weekend following his training. His father, a Gilroy resident and a retired firefighter, instilled in him a desire to help in disasters when he can.
“Someone has got to do something with government agencies taking a while to get going,” Petersen said.
Other volunteers who are working with the local Community Emergency Response Team are still waiting to find out when they will be sent.
Though Goldsmith has eight years of wilderness as well as search and rescue training she is still waiting to hear from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA has to approve all CERT groups before they can go into a disaster area.
“I basically sit by my phone and wait until they call me to come and train, and eventually deploy,” Goldsmith said Thursday from her Gilroy home.
Morgan Hill’s CERT coordinator Deborah Suzuki expressed frustration with FEMA about delaying the deployment of CERT members. She has four members, including Goldsmith, ready to head into the disaster zone, but they haven’t received approval yet.
Suzuki said her team can do some things better than the professionals right now.
“We can triage quickly. We know how to do medicine with scissors and a roll of duct tape,” Suzuki said. “We can use a broken door as a stretcher. We are trained to improvise with what’s there.”
She sent out a newsletter to 200 CERT graduates in the Morgan Hill and Gilroy area. Though she is still waiting for approval to head out, Suzuki encouraged any CERT graduates interested in going into the areas hardest hit by the hurricane to contact her at 779-1722 or via e-mail at js*****@****ic.com.
“We need people in the [Gulf Coast] area soon, to relieve those who have been on duty almost non-stop since early Sunday,” she added in an earlier interview.
For those without special training, relief help can be done closer to home. Many local schools and churches are collecting donations or have plans to start fundraisers next week.
Brownell Academy students started bringing in cash donations Friday. Greg Troy, coordinator for the Associated Student Body, said teachers worked to put together an impromptu fundraiser.
“They brought in anything they can and today kids came up with pennies, nickels, dimes … and even dollar bills,” Troy said. “You could call it ‘Brownell Bruins Believe in Benevolence.'”
He hopes to get ASB members involved after their first meeting next week.
Las Animas fifth grade teacher Cathy Magana is working with her students to organize a donation drive to start Sept. 12. She is sending a flyer home to parents and will have her students make posters about the fundraiser to place in each classroom.
“The kids will bring in coffee cans and shoe boxes to decorate,” she said. “I said I would count the money and get a money order for the Red Cross at the end of the drive.”
Rod Kelley will start selling T-shirts and sweatshirts from previous Rods Trods, their annual school fundraiser.
“We have shirts from the last years that we will be selling at a reduced price instead of just sitting there in boxes,” Principal Luis Carillo said. “We’d like to help out in whatever little way we can.”
The shirts will be on sale after school and at their back-to-school night Sept. 9.
“We get the message to kids to take responsibility for people in bad situations,” Carillo added.
People looking to donate can also turn to many of the local churches in Gilroy to help with hurricane relief.
St. Mary Parish will accept donations at their parish office that will go to the Catholic Relief Fund to help people in the states hit by the hurricane. The church also will hold a second collection at each Mass on the weekend of Sept. 10 to benefit the hurricane victims. The church is collecting monetary donations during their office hours and on Sunday.
South Valley Community Church is working with the American Red Cross and Operation Blessings.
“When people see a need, they respond,” said Pastor Mark Turner.
Hurricane relief Fundraisers
Rhapsody & Wine, Guglielmo Memories, 1480 E. Main Ave., Morgan Hill
Sunday, Sept. 11, 1 to 5pm
Info: 779-6337 or www.fabulousflappers.org
South Valley Community Church, 8095 Kelton Drive, Gilroy
Friday, Sept. 16 at 6pm
Info: 848-2363
Where to donate:
Santa Clara Valley Chapter of American Red Cross
2731 North First St.
San Jose, CA 95134-2029
(408) 577-2049 or
1-800-HELP-NOW
www.santaclaravalley.redcross.org or
www.cruzrojaamericana.org
AAA of Northern California will match employee and member donations. Donations will go to the American Red Cross.
Gilroy AAA Office
1395 First St.
847-2300
or online at www.csaa.com
Salvation Army
Send checks marked “disaster relief” to:
PO Box 4857
Jackson, MS 39296-4857
www.salvationarmyusa.org
Gilroy’s Wal-Mart will be collecting money for the Salvation Army.
7900 Arroyo Circle
Gilroy, CA 95021
848-8161
PETCO Foundation will be running their “Round Up” fundraiser to benefit pets lost in the hurricane until Sept. 11. Donations can also be made online at www.petco.com.
Gilroy PETCO
8767 San Ysidro Ave.
846-2844
Morgan Hill PETCO
313 Vineyard Town Center Way
778-7838
United Way of Silicon Valley is collecting money for long-term recovery support.
Send checks marked “Hurricane Katrina Fund” to:
United Way of America
P.O. Box 630568
Baltimore, MD 21263-0568
1-800-272-4630
www.unitedway.org
Consumers should be aware of possible giving scams in the wake of any disaster. California’s Attorney General Bill Lockyer offered suggestions to people looking to donate to hurricane relief that will help them ensure their donations get to where they are needed.
• Stick with established charities. Visit www.ag.ca.gov/charities or www.give.org for more information on charities.
• Take action on your own rather than responding to solicitations.
• Beware of “copycat” names that should like reputable charities.
• Do not give through e-mail solicitations.
