9/21/2004

Contact: K.E. Schwab  -- 724-738-2199;  e-mail: karl.schwab@sru.edu

VOLUNTEER FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS BEING COORDINATED

BY SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SERVICE INSTITUTE

          SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University’s Institute for Community, Service Learning and Nonprofit Leadership has been recruited by the Butler County United Way to coordinate volunteer efforts across the county following the weekend’s massive floods that destroyed more than 500 homes.

          Three communities in Butler County are listing all homes as “destroyed.”

          Hours at the institute’s office, located in the Lowry Center on the SRU campus, have been expanded to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the remainder of the week to aid volunteers looking for projects. Volunteer may call the office at
724-738-2273.

          Alice Kaiser-Drobney, institute director, says the institute is accepting organizations willing to lend a hand in removing flood debris, assist with interior and exterior cleaning, and individuals willing to staff service centers in Renfrew/Evans City and Butler as well as offer assistance at the Butler County YMCA day-care centers, which are accepting county resident’s children as parents clean up their flood-damaged homes. Volunteers are also needed to sort and tag donated items to be distributed to those in need through the Butler County Armory and to assist at feeding stations and donation distribution centers in affected areas, she adds.

          “The institute will direct persons interested in helping to ways their time, goods, and money can be most effectively used,” Kaiser-Drobney explains.

          The SRU institute is also accepting donated goods and has lists of needed items  – and where they can be delivered. Information on monetary donations is also available. Thorough Monday, the institute will accept clothes and small items at the center during the 9-to-9 service hours.

            Kaiser-Drobney also notes the disaster is providing opportunities for college organizations, athletic teams and individuals to lend a hand with clean-up, painting and repairs before the onset of winter.

PN, PgN, WPN, PR, PT