I've been doing a lot of "Internet surveys" of the aftermath of the tornadoes the past couple of days, and I'm still blown away. Don't even have the words.
Both of my parents are from Tuscaloosa, and I practically grew up down there even though our home was in Birmingham. There are so many places that I had sentimental attachment to that no longer exist, from the former home of my grandparents, to friends' houses, local businesses, you name it.
The one that hurt the most, though, was the church I practically grew up in. Central church of Christ, on Hargrove Road, is a total loss. My Grandfather was an elder there for many decades, my mother (and an aunt and uncle) grew up there, my parents were married there, I was baptised there, and my wife was baptised there. The fact that that wonderful old church building is gone is just devastating to me.
Here is a link to a story ABC 33/40 did about several students who sought refuge at the church and made it through:
Click here for linkThe church is obviously a total loss. I got word tonight that once the insurance adjusters do their reports, the whole thing will be bulldozed.
After thinking for some time what I could do to help, I've decided that the best way for me to help is to give money to my former church. In the grand scheme of things, giving money to the Red Cross is wonderful, but it lacks that personal connection of knowing exactly where your money goes can give you. They've asked that any donations be earmarked for either their campus ministry (to go to students that were displaced or affected by the storm), their building fund (to help rebuild), or their benevolence fund (to help members of the Tuscaloosa community that need help). Another reason I'm choosing to give to Central is that I feel like a local organization might be in a better place to directly help than the Red Cross.
I would encourage all of you that are looking for a way to help to find something that has a personal connection and help directly. Whether it be a friend of a friend, family member of a friend, friend of a family member, a local organization, etc., I think that putting the funds where they can do the most good is the best way to go.
Donating supplies does a great help, I'm sure, but from what I've heard the outpouring on that front has been tremendous. One report said the bleachers at the Rec Center were overflowing, which is awesome! Working in search and rescue, or helping those you know or are friends of those you know try to collect their belongings out of their destroyed homes, are also great options. But, if you no longer live in the area like me, helping in those ways is hard to do.
Either way, I think that ANY help, whether it be donated in goods, services, or money, will help, and I encourage EVERYONE to do so. Tuscaloosa needs all the help she can get right now.
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