Messages from Folks in Pass Christian
To date we have organized groups to determine the immediate needs of the Pass Christian community. Thanks to the extreme generosity of the local community and a unique partnership with the Rotary Club of Pass Christian and the Mennonites Recovery Assistance, Naperville Responds continues to raise funds to build modest homes.
Naperville Responds board members including Mayor George Pradel, Ron Wehrli, Bill Brestal, Kevin Gallaher, Steve Chirico, Stephanie Penick, Jack Persin, Diane Persin, Rich Mikolajczyk, Don Pugh, Julie Cole and Mary Frances and many local church groups have visited Pass Christian in recent months where progress, though slow, is beginning to show. In true Partner City style, Naperville and Pass Christian will continually exchange ideas, visits and plans during this ongoing commitment to help rebuild hope and homes.
Additional fundraising, partnerships and community support efforts are continually developing. Please visit this Web site often for updates about progress, events and missions that will benefit Naperville's domestic Partner City.
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Our group was from Wesley United Methodist Church in Naperville and we worked on a new home being built for Mary Joyce Cuevas, a native of Pass Christian who lost her home due to Katrina. While in Pass Christian I had a chance to talk to Mayor Chipper McDermott and Debra Welch from the city about the work being done associated with Naperville Responds. Both the mayor and Debra were very appreciative of the work being done by Naperville Responds. Also, since I met with them at different times, both the mayor and Debra took me to several of the homes built or being built by the Mennonite Disaster Recover group on behalf of Naperville. It was also possible to meet with Peter Bunnett and Cletus Yoder of that group. The mayor took me to the new home of Wayne Ford during our brief tour. This was the second home built under the sponsorship of Naperville Responds. Wayne and his family were doing well. However, as you are aware, the town of Pass Christian still has much recovery to occur before it can be said the situation is back to normal.You may be aware that Ron Wehrli was recently in Pass Christian and would have more first hand input concerning the status of residents and the town. By the way, Shaggie's is doing well and provided a good venue to watch the finals for both the men's and women's finals of the NCAA basketball tourneys. ---Ron Sellberg, April 20, 2008, Naperville Resident |
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Pass Christian is getting back into its routine with "Market In The Park."
"With all the rain in the early AM, THE MARKET started late under a cloudy sky that looked like rain."
---Submitted by Ron Daley, April 5, 2008
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---Submitted by Ron Daley on April 2, 2008 |
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---Photo by Ron Daley, Submitted March 10, 2008 |
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---Submitted by Ron Daley, February 16, 2008 |
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---Photo submitted by Ron Daley on February 13, 2008 |
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---Photo submitted by Ron Daley, Feb. 1, 2008 |
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---Photo courtesy Jack Persin, Jan. 30, 2008 |
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Hello, everyone!
Here is an overview of our trip to Pass Christian.
It was a huge success, 20 volunteers represented Naperville Responds in a productive trip to the Gulf Coast from January 23-27, 2008.
The weather did not cooperate with the trip; rain, cold and windy days was the best way to describe each day. Although we know it was much warmer than Naperville.
We worked with the Mennonite’s and Naperville Respond homes. On day two we were interviewed by a television station in Biloxi, it ran on their 5 PM news. Don Culpepper WLOX covered the story. Everything we did was under the representation of Naperville Responds. Mayor Chipper gave us two city vans to use for transporting our team and a lot of thanks for traveling the Pass.
Day One
We arrived in Gulfport, same flight we took with the Mayor. Chipper was in Jackson at the Capitol working on funding for his town. He had the Chief of Police pick us up in a bus and drive everyone to the hotel.
After check-in we toured the town, visited City Hall and stopped at a few of the Naperville Responds sites. From there we drove to The Mennonite Camp and met the current site Manager Harold Friesen. He gave an overview of the progress, discussed the mission of Mennonite’s and told us what we would be doing on Thursday and Friday.
Wednesday evening we were guest of Tut & Joanne Kinney, a local family who hosted a dinner party for our entire group. With rain in the air, she had all of us spread through the house. A great evening of stories, food and bonding.
Day Two
As instructed, we report to the Camp at 7:30 am, first to meet the team leaders, (Mennonite’s) as well as other volunteers from Pennsylvania. They give us our work assignments and just prior to leaving the site Harold lead us in prayer for the families and town we are about to help. There are 6 home sites of which 4 are Naperville Responds.
We had teams of Naperville Responds people working on 3 of our homes the first day. The weather would not allow us to work outside. The home site on Henderson there were 6 people assigned and the job was to insulate the home. We finished before lunch and were moved to another home, same task insulating the home on St Paul’s Street.
The other crew was already at St Paul’s Street doing drywall inside. There were a total of 11 Naperville Respond people working on that home in the afternoon with 4 Mennonite’s and volunteers from PA. The other crew was working on setting scaffolding and carpenter work.
Three others from our group were dry-walling another home on West Street. Long hard day that was very rewarding. The evening was spent at Shaggy’s ( a local grill on the water) with Mayor Chipper, the owner of Shaggy’s and Council members. They shared dinner, story telling and the good times with the Naperville Responds team.
Day Three
A little break in the weather, the rain stopped. Four teams on 4 different homes. Some continued working at the home on St. Paul’s Street. Drywall, taping, and finish work to drywall, another crew was at the home on Railroad installing siding, doors, windows and door knobs.
Naperville native Larry Baumgartner of Baumgartner Plumbing who traveled with us, plumbed that entire home and had it pass the City Inspection for code at the end of the day. Two teams were sent digging & pouring foundations. Those two sites have extra ordinary stories about the families, the one home was located on Market, the other on Morton. We met the home owners. The job was to first dig the foundation, set the Rebar in and then pour the cement and level. Both foundations were completed by the end of the work day. The last crew was assigned the clean up crew and cleaned each site and then they hauled it all away to the land fill some 30 minutes from town. At some of the work sites the home owners made coffee and lunch for us. The are so thankful for Naperville Responds.
That Friday evening Debra Welch, the Mayor and Council members had a BBQ at the old Library for all of us. Great food and hospitality.
Day Four
Off day for the Mennonite’s. Our group traveled to New Orleans and viewed the beginning parades of the Mardi Gras. Had dinner on Bourbon Street and headed back to the hotel in the early evening.
Day Five
Back home to Naperville.
One thing we all have taken from the experience: They need our help. Pass Christian needs more help than we can supply. It's difficult to leave with so much work to do. We committed to return next year to help. I suspect our next trip will have more than 20 people traveling from Naperville. Everyone believed in the mission. We served and are very proud to have represented the City of Naperville.
We will be at the next Naperville Responds meeting on Feb. 5, 2008, to answer questions.
Jack Persin, Naperville Responds, Coordinator of the Ryan-Hill Realty All-Volunteer Team
Folks from Naperville are pictured working on the Brown (St. Paul Ave.) house in the miserable weather on January 24, 2008. Jack Persin of Ryan-Hill Realty took works crews on a 4-day mission to help rebuild. Persin is a member of the Naperville Responds Board of Directors.
---Photos submitted by Ron Daley, Jan. 24, 2008
Editor's Note: Daley may report miserable weather, but it's all relative. In Naperville temperatures hovered between zero and five degrees on this date.
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---Photo and commentary submitted by Ron Daley, January 15, 2008 |
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---Photo by Ron Daley, Submitted Jan. 12, 2008 |
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---Photo by Ron Daley, Dec. 13, 2007 |
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---Photo submitted by Ron Daley on Nov. 16, 2007 |
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---Photo taken by Ron Daley at Shaggy's on Nov. 6, 2007 |
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---Submitted by Ron Daley, Nov. 3, 2007 |
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---Photo taken October 31, 2007, by Ron Daley |
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---Submitted by Ron Daley, Oct. 10, 2007 |
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---Submitted by Ron Daley, Oct. 5, 2007 |
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---Photo submitted by Ron Daley on Sept. 25, 2007 |
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---Photo submitted by Ron Daley, Sept. 23, 2007 For more information about progress in Pass Christian, Miss., visit images of Pass Christian, Miss., in September 2007 by Photographer Ron Daley. |
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--- Becky Hollis , Community Services, Naperville Public Library |
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Ron Daley wrote that Americorps left Pass Christian on July 28, 2007, for St. Louis. "They will surely be missed in Pass Christian," he said. "Thanks, Americorps."
When a group from Naperville Responds visited The Pass in August 2006, Americorps workers managed Tent City and made sure we had the things we needed. They were a great group of young adults.
These pictures taken by Ron Daley show the Americorps workers with Mayor Chipper McDermott and other folks from Pass Christian.
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---- Ron Daley, June 26, 2007 |
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---- Submitted by Ron Daley on June 20, 2007 |
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---- Submitted by Ron Daley, June 17, 2007 |
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The Naperville Public Library just sent five more boxes of "stuff" to Pass bringing our grand total to 4,890 videos, DVDs, books-on-disc, books-on-tape and CDs. This is our second shipment in the last week. Since most of these items are culled from patron donations, I would guess that a lot of people are doing spring cleaning!
--- Becky Hollis, Liaison for Naperville Responds/Naperville Public Library and the Public Library in Pass Christian, Miss. (Submitted May 8, 2007)
---- Submitted by Ron Daley, April 29, 2007 |
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 Visitors will welcome the new restrooms are now located in Memorial Park in Pass Christian, Mississippi. |
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| Naperville Responds' seventh home continues to progress with a new roof and siding this week. ---Photo by Ron Daley on Feb. 12, 2007 |
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Now under construction, this 1,200 sq. ft. house is being funded, in part, by Good Shepherd's Promise and Purpose Campaign. It's the seventh Naperville Responds house, and it's now in progress at 402 Dawn Ave. The property owner is a 77-year-old great-grandmother who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina except three changes of clothes that were in her travel bag when she evacuated her former home.
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Since October 2005, generous gifts to Naperville Responds have made it possible to fund seven homes in hurricane-ravaged Pass Christian, Miss. At the February board meeting, funds are expected to be approved for the eighth home. Signs in front of every Naperville Respond home display the partnership with the Rotary Club of Pass Christian and the Mennonites Disaster Services.
---Submitted by Ron Daley on Dec. 14, 2006 |
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11/29 Julie Corwith of the Naperville Art League sent two small boxes about
18"x16"x4" via book rate with a collection of How To Do books
for either the art association or the library.
12/4 Rachel Bryan of the Naperville Art League sent 4 more
boxes via UPS. Two are computer paper box size. One is a medium box with
frames & the other is a large box of frames weighing 42 lbs. We still
have large frames to get down there and will wait to package them up for
a summer work crew's trip.
12/4 RESPONSE. You guys (I mean gals!) are great! We now have an office close to the hospital and I haven't managed to completely fill it up. We had our Miniature Show last month and are leaving it up in the community trailer until Christmas. I'll try to get some photos for you.
---Kathie Short, President of the Pass Christian Art League
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Robin Roberts broadcast live from War Memorial Park in Pass Christian where members of Naperville Responds also visited the weekend of Aug. 19. Members of Naperville Responds went to the Gulf Coast town to dedicate three homes during ceremonies hosted by the Mennonites Disaster Service and the Rotary Club of Pass Christian. Photos submitted by Ron Daley, Aug. 29, 2006. |
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Rebuilding the local economy is among the many challenges for the folks all along the Gulf Coast. Naperville Responds is hopeful Pass Christian continues to have a great fishing season this year. "We're short on a lot of things, but not boiled crabs and shrimp." |
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Here are some photos of the Mennonites working to help build homes in
Pass Christian.
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The first three homes built with funds from Naperville Responds will be dedicated on Aug. 19, 2006. The Mennonites provided the skilled labor to build The Dubuisson house, pictured here, and others in Pass Christian. |
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Yesterday. Dubuisson house on Second and Saucier |
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"Mennonites built the Dubuisson House with funds
from Naperville
Responds and the assistance of the Rotary Club of Pass
Christian." |
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The Ford House on Market Street is another home being built with the skilled labor of the Mennonites with funds from Naperville Responds and the assistance of the Rotary Club of Pass Christian Foundation. This house is one worked on by Wheaton, IL., volunteer Kerma Upton during a recent mission trip. Keys to the house will be presented during special ceremonies that begin at noon on Aug. 19. |
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Jerry Klassen, left, of Mennonite Disaster Service shows Rich Mikolajczyk of Naperville Responds how "above sea level" is marked and measured on the telephone poles at the site of one of the first three new homes. |
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These photos were from the Eric and Kathy Show, Wed., June 21, along the
Riverwalk. Members of Naperville Responds set up a table in the rain to
spread some awareness about the $10 for 20 initiative. Click to enlarge.
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Photos by Chuck Newman
KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH MISSION TRIP / JUNE 10-17.
A weeklong mission trip with 130 members (teens and adults) from Knox
Presbyterian Church is headed to Pass Christian on three motorcoaches
Saturday, June 10. Janet Hyde is organizing the trip. She was down in
Pass Christian recently and is returning with the group.
Janet contacted Naperville Responds to see if the Partner City initiative
had anything that needs to be delivered.
In recent months, the Naperville Art League has been collecting art supplies.
Some supplies have already been shipped and the mission group will load
others for delivery in the Gulf Coast community. Also, Becky Hollis of
the Naperville Library also provided some boxes of materials that have
been donated for the Pass Christian library by REACH students at Washington
Junior High.
Naperville
teens from
Knox Church delivered art supplies from the Naperville Art League to Kathie
Short (in Pass Christian, Miss.). They are in front a mural done by children
in Pass Christian (on display in the library trailer). Note the Big Bad
Wolf (Hurricane Katrina) on the left and the at the end of the rainbow---
Pass Christian---"we are
survivors."
We had such an incredible time - so many stories - so much work -- the young people were grace in action
Many members of Naperville Responds have been helping groups connect with the schools, churches, library and the art league in true Partner City style. Thanks to all!
The Naperville
Public Library has sent a donation of A/V to the
Pass library at least twice a month since November. These include
discarded and donated CDs, DVDs and videos. To aid in shelving and circulation
of the items, NPL's technical services department checks for damage and
attaches spine labels. Sally James, the Pass librarian, has expressed
her appreciation many times. The total DVDs, books-on-tape, videos, etc.
total 3,003 items as of today and a new shipment will probably go out
tomorrow. Until the last week or two when the Pass library started
to get some things they have ordered, shipments from Naperville provided
the only source of audio/video materials.
---Becky Hollis,
Naperville Public Library, September 7, 2006
Catholic Churches are sending a team of volunteers to Pass Christian
to assist with rebuilding efforts from November 20-27. All interested
parties are invited to join them. Both skilled and non-skilled workers
are welcome. They have a particular need for electricians and roofers.
If anyone is interested in joining the team or assisting please contact:
Chuck Newman, AIA, REFP
President
Newman Architecture
1730 Park Avenue - Suite 115
Naperville, Illinois 60563-2611
Voice: 630-420-1600
Cell: 630-400-0055
email: Chuck@newmanArchitecture.com