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Southern Indiana now open to long-term recovery volunteers

United Methodist individuals and groups can now register for volunteer work to help southern Indiana tornado survivors in long-term recovery. There are two important steps and organizations to assist volunteers in mission coming to the area.

First, register for a work assignment through the March 2 Recovery Volunteer Reception Center for Affiliate Organizations open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. The Volunteer Reception Center for Affiliate Organizations, including The United Methodist Church, is now located at the Country Lake Christian Retreat Center north of Henryville. To volunteer as individuals or groups, register online at www.volunteersroc.org then “CLICK HERE” if you have a group to register. For additional information and answers to questions, call the center at 812-565-CAMP (2267). If you hear a Google message, leave a message and a volunteer will return your call within 72 hours or less (hopefully within 24 hours). Please remember that the volunteer center team is still organizing its full response and a volunteer will return phone calls as soon as possible. Thank you for volunteering and for your patience as we move forward in southern Indiana.

Groups are scheduled from 6 p.m. Sunday to Friday morning. Volunteers will leave from Country Lake Christian Retreat Center (see information below) to go to their work sites and leave from the work site for home on Friday. Each UM group needs to secure their own insurance from UMVIM. Forms are available online at www.inumc.org/volunteer then click on Volunteer in Mission Forms in left column of the web page.

Second, make reservations with the Country Lake Christian Retreat Center for inexpensive food and lodging during the time you or your volunteers in mission team will be working. Read the information about food and lodging and complete the required documents. Online housing reservations also can be completed online at www.volunteersroc.org/under-construction/volunteer/group-registration. United Methodist and other Affiliated Group Leaders are expected to take an engaged and active role in making sure that their group is organized, all documents are in order and make every effort to honor the generosity of our hosts at The Country Lake Christian Retreat Center.

All questions and comments should be directed by the Group Leader to the Group Volunteer Coordinator by e-mail: volunteergroups@march2recovery.org or phone: 812-565-CAMP (2267). Thank you in advance for your consideration and attention to detail; we look forward to serving with you.

Your donations are welcomed for tornado recovery in southern Indiana. Remember cash is king, please NO CLOTHES. Donations of money or gift cards to Lowes, Home Depot and Walmart are preferred. Ways to donate and places to take donations are listed at http://march2recovery.org/donate.

Click here to download the documents needed.

Long-term recovery begins in southern Indiana, volunteers needed

Long-term recovery (LTR) efforts are beginning in southern Indiana for tornado survivors with United Methodist Volunteer in Mission teams beginning to head out to assist residents of the five-country area affected by the March 2 tornadoes. More than 450 homes need to be rebuilt or repaired.

The Indiana Conference Disaster Response and Volunteer in Mission teams are collaborating our work and giving to residents in need through the March2Recovery (www.march2recovery.org) local LTR organization that is coordinating long-term response efforts. March2Recovery is also available at www.facebook.com/march2recovery. March2 Recovery is based at the Country Lake Christian Retreat Center (www.countrylake.org) just north of Henryville at 815 Country Lake Road in Underwood, Ind. 47177.

Volunteers will be able to stay overnight in dormitory style housing (eight bunks to a room) at Country Lake for $20 a night including food (two meals and sack lunch). The Country Lake Christian Retreat Center also needs volunteers to assist in housing up to 100 volunteers a night. There are two websites for those interested in volunteering. They are www.countrylake.org and http://relief.southeastchristian.org. The second website is the actual volunteer sign up while the first is a description of the facility. To schedule a group service project at the retreat center, please contact Diane at 812-294-4789. If you wish to explore these volunteer opportunities and register to volunteer at the retreat center, contact Country Lake at http://relief.southeastchristian.org. The March2Recovery Volunteer Center for relief work will be housed at this beautiful retreat center. For more information or to discuss options, please call Sarah Flannery at 502-253-8277.

Until March2Recovery is able to place volunteer in work sites, United Methodist volunteers are encourage to contact the separate churches for relief and recovery projects. Communities still have some relief cleanup in progress through the:

• Henryville UMC, call the church at 812-294-1330 and ask for Carolyn Partlow, who is working with her husband Don Partlow on fulfilling local requests from residents. They are working with the International Fellowship of Christian Farmers who is working with farmers to have scout troops and youth groups clear fields of debris so they can be farmed.
• Pekin UMC, contact the church at 812-967-4682.
• Holton UMC, contact Gara Kreider at 812-569-6371 and
• Daisy Hill UMC, Chris Bean is the long-term recovery contact. Call 812-267-3174.

For more information, contact Bonnie Albert, Indiana Conference Volunteer in Mission coordinator, at bonkay@hotmail.com or call 219-464-1447.