CHHSM Back Bay Mission Hurricane Relief Fund

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast and nearly wiped out CHHSM member Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi, CHHSM's Board of Directors created the CHHSM Back Bay Mission Hurricane Relief Fund and seeded it with a $10,000 gift from unrestricted CHHSM reserves. CHHSM is continuing to accept financial donations from CHHSM ministries and individuals. A number of CHHSM members have made extraordinary contributions to hurricane relief, and many others are discussing how they can best respond. Here are some ways that your fellow ministries have responded:

The Beatitudes Campus, Phoenix, Arizona:
The Beatitudes is planning a fundraiser with proceeds to be split between CHHSM's Back Bay Mission Hurricane Relief Fund and AAHSA's relief work.

Bethany Children's Home, Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania:
Bethany has offered housing assistance to storm survivors in its area and is conducting a staff fundraising campaign.

Crossroad/Ft. Wayne Children's Home, Fort Wayne, Indiana:
Crossroad has offered to house a family of hurricane survivors for a year.

Deaconess Foundation, St. Louis, Missouri:
The Deaconess Foundation made a grant of $250,000 to CHHSM's Back Bay Mission Hurricane Relief Fund. In addition, Deaconess is providing technical assistance as needed to the Mission, including sending CHHSM's communications director, Rebecca Wilson, to Biloxi to gather stories and photographs that document Back Bay's work in the aftermath of the storm.

Elon Homes for Children, Elon, North Carolina:
Elon has made long-term housing and school placement available to children who survived the hurricane.

Evangelical Homes of Michigan
Evangelical Homes has donated $2,000 to the CHHSM Back Bay Mission Fund.

Evangelical Children's Home, St. Louis, Missouri
Evangelical Children's Home has contributed $3,111.32 to the CHHSM Back Bay Mission Fund.

Fairhaven Corporation, Whitewater, Wisconsin:
Fairhaven has donated $1,000 to the CHHSM Back Bay Mission Fund and also contributed to AAHSA's fund.

Good Samaritan Home, Quincy, Illinois
Good Samaritan Home has contributed $5,000 to CHHSM's Back Bay Mission Hurricane Relief Fund.

Hoyleton Youth & Family Services, Hoyleton, Illinois:
Hoyleton has been working to help hurricane survivors in its local area. The ministry is also making tentative plans to send a work crew to Back Bay Mission when the Mission is ready to receive such groups.

Neighborhood Houses, St. Louis, Missouri:
Neighborhood Houses is working to provide support to hurricane survivors who are temporarily living in St. Louis. Executive Director Eugene Bartell has generously offered to loan a Neighborhood Houses staff person to support Back Bay Mission whenever the Mission determines that gift would be of use.

Phoebe Ministries, Allentown, Pennsylvania:
Phoebe Ministries has contributed $10,000 to the CHHSM Back Bay Mission Fund.

Retirement Housing Foundation, Long Beach, California:
The RHF Disaster Response Fund will match, up to $100,000, donations for Hurricane Katrina relief. 25% of those donations are earmarked for CHHSM's Back Bay Mission Fund, while the remaining funds will support the relief work of AAHSA (American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging), the United Church of Christ's "Hope Shall Bloom" fund, and the work of the South Central Conference of the United Church of Christ.

RHF has also provided a list of all vacant apartments, skilled nursing beds and assisted living units to HUD and AAHSA for use in providing temporary housing for storm survivors. And finally, through its successful Project HANDS(TM) program that makes gloves, scarves, hats and blankets for those in need, RHF is providing residents and volunteers the opportunity to donate some of these handmade items to storm survivors.

UCAN (Uhlich Children's Advantage Network), Chicago Illinois:
UCAN has contributed $2,400 to the CHHSM Back Bay Mission Fund.

Uplands Retirement Village, Pleasant Hill, Tennessee:
Uplands has offered Back Bay housing at Uplands for a displaced family.

If your ministry is working to relieve the suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina but we at CHHSM are not yet aware of your work, please let us know at chhsmnews@chhsm.org or call Rebecca Wilson at 330-524-2067. We will continue to post updated reports of CHHSM ministries responses to Back Bay Mission and Hurricane Katrina.

It's not too late to contribute to the rebuilding of Back Bay Mission. Please consider a corporate, individual or group donation, and see the Back Bay Gift Registry for suggestions of ways to spur a grassroots fundraising effort. Your contributions may be made payable to CHHSM, earmarked for Back Bay Mission and sent to the CHHSM office at 700 Prospect Ave., Cleveland, OH, 44120. Unless otherwise directed, CHHSM will inform Back Bay Mission of the source and amount of all contributions to the Fund. Contributions made through CHHSM are tax-deductible and all contributors will receive a receipt from CHHSM acknowledging their contribution for tax purposes.