November 20, 2008
Dear Faith Community Leader,
We believe you already know that disasters especially impact vulnerable
individuals, families and communities here in Washington State. We also
recognize, however, that you may know little to nothing about the
Washington Interfaith Disaster Recovery Organization (WIDRO) and our
work with individuals and families following disasters such as the
devastating windstorm and floods during December 2007.
WIDRO's primary mission is the development of local long-term recovery
organizations (LTROs) to assist disaster victims with their recovery once
Federal and State government efforts have ended. We are particularly
honored that our work in developing long-term local recovery groups in
Lewis, Grays Harbor, Pacific, Mason and Thurston Counties following last
December's storm has earned WIDRO the respect and appreciation of the
Governor's Office, State Department of Emergency Management, Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Washington Voluntary Organizations
Active in Disaster(WAVOAD).
Following 2007 disaster local, regional and
national faith-based organizations and other donors contributed over
$57,000 to WIDRO. This enable WIDRO to keep a staff person active for the
six months establishing and training local long-term recovery groups.
These funds were also crucial in providing grants to these groups to fund
case workers and direct assistance to disaster victims served by these
local organizations.
Now, as we face the beginning of our winter
storm season, we must engage a larger segment of the faith community to
help us re-build our funding base beyond the small reserve we have set
aside as startup for our next disaster recovery cycle. All government
and voluntary organizations, involved in disaster response and recovery,
know all too well, the inescapable reality- that the question is not "if"
but when" the next disaster will occur in Washington State. Wow -even as
we prepare this letter the next disaster response and recovery effort is
directly upon us.
Given this reality, we are reaching out
to you because of your leadership position and knowledge of your
respective faith community. We would like to
enter into a conversation with you as to how faith based communities can
expand their involvement and support. We are asking that you help us
identify individuals, groups, local, state, national points of contact who
would have an interest in long term disaster recovery, and who should know
more about WIDRO and its recovery efforts here in Washington State. Of
course, we also hope you will help us network and facilitate a challenge
to help underwrite future long-term recovery efforts facilitated and
coordinated by WIDRO.
Washington faith-based communities, working collaboratively through WIDRO,
are able to bring together multiple recovery resources already existing
within the faith community. Your participation will enable WIDRO to
continue to develop this crucial and collective approach to help
vulnerable individuals and families be restored, as soon as possible,
following a disaster.
For more information about WIDRO, and our Vision, Mission and Strategy,
please visit our web site at
www.widro.org. We also invite you to contact Neil Molenaar at
360-710-7248, and or me personally at
206-856-8547 for additional information.
On behalf of the WIDRO Board of Directors,
