LANSNG, MI -- There are about 126 evacuees in Ingham County. Sixty furnished houses - apartments have been made available for them. Most of the people came through Fort Custer, Battle Creek, MI. Others are walk-ins.

This has been a tremendously successful, coordinated effort by local, county and state agencies and organizations. Evacuees have been provided needed services including health, mental health, dental, counseling, child care, school enrollment, financial assistance, transportation, employment assistance, etc. This has been a traumatic period for them.

The Adopt A Family program has been a great success. More Adopt A Family sponsors are needed. Being a sponsor is a very rewarding experience. Training is required. Two sessions are currently scheduled for next week at St Vincent Catholic Charities: Monday, 1:30pm and Tuesday at 5:30pm. Other sessions will be scheduled, as needed.

Items Still Needed for St Vincent Catholic Charities include: dressers, twin beds, box springs, mattresses, universal bed frames and bedding, as well as volunteers to set-up apartments/houses.

A family support system has been established at the Black Child and Family Institute. There are rooms set aside for people to get needed items ranging from clothes to toiletries, towels, high chairs and strollers. The initial hours are Mondays from 1 - 3 p.m. Those hours may be expanded.

FEMA Registration is Important. We believe there are still people in the area who are with family members or friends who have not registered with FEMA. It is very important to register in order to get assistance. If you are aware of someone who needs to do so, be advised that they can call the toll-free FEMA hot line number (800) 621-FEMA (3362) or register online. To register online or check a displaced persons application:
http://www.fema.gov/register.shtm

They can also go to St Vincent Catholic Charities for assistance with registering.

Benefit Concert for the Hurricane Katrina Survivors: On One Accord... Uniting to Provide A benefit concert hosted by Mizz Reality and Faith UMC will be held on Oct. 1, at 6:30pm at Faith United Methodist Church, 4301 S. Waverly Rd. The concert is free, but they will have a free will offering.

Trinity AME Churh has invited all avacuees and sponsors to its Tuesday Family Nights at 5:30 p.m.

Friendship Baptist Church is sponsoring dinner for evacuees on Oct. 23 at 3:00 p.m.

The Red Cross has trained more than 100 people to respond to Katrina. Among those is Rev. Vial Trice, who is currently in Baton Rouge living in a volunteers’ shelter in a church. After being there for three days, in a phone conversation he said that his brief experience has changed his life forever. He said the television coverage does not do justice to the real conditions within the shelters.

At the Michigan Relief Efforts: Up date site local Red Cross volunteer Elaine Flores’ impressions installments are available. More Trucks Going South Because of your generosity and the kindness of drivers from LCC’s Truck Driver Training School, we will soon deliver two more semi-trucks loaded with goods to Katrina survivors. This time the trucks will go to Mobile, Alabama and two rural Alabama communities that received mass destruction. We are working directly with the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus to ensure that the items are distributed appropriately.

Please continue to drop off air mattresses, pillows, bedding and clothes at UAW local 602.

Jobs Related To Katrina: The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the creation of the Katrina Recovery Job Connection dedicated to connecting workers impacted by the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina with employers who want to hire them. It will also support the hiring associated with critical clean-up efforts in impacted areas. The expanded Web site is designed to assist three specific audiences: individuals seeking new, full-time employment either in their home state or in a new state; individuals wishing to assist in the clean-up and rebuilding efforts through temporary employment, and employers who want to list jobs supporting hurricane recovery efforts or want to hire workers impacted by the hurricane.