About 30 people gathered in the back room of Damon's Grill last night as the Athens community came together to welcome three families who fled their homes after Hurricane Katrina destroyed them.
Representatives from five Athens area churches, Athens County Job and Family Services, the Red Cross of Athens County, Avalanche Pizza, Friendly Paws Pet Supply, Hocking College and Ohio University filled Damon's booths and tables, sitting alongside many Athens residents and even a few OU students.
This meeting is about becoming one effort to support families in Athens County that have come from the hurricane areas
said Matt Gaiser, 5373 Enlow Road, who has been involved in bringing the three families to Athens.
The guests of honor though, were the evacuees that arrived in Athens as recently as Thursday. Tom and Sandra Snider fled to Athens from Pass Christian, Mississippi. Pearl and John Gullard Jr. came to the Athens area from a shelter in Alexandria, Mississippi. after leaving their home in New Orleans with their son, daughter, son-in-law and 10-month-old granddaughter, Essence.
The Gullards' son, John III, and son-in-law, Cody, are attending OU. Their daughter, Gezelle, will attend Hocking College.
We were in the shelter in Alexandria when we heard about a seven-bedroom house in Albany Gezelle said. So we drove. These people sent us money to drive up here and even fixed our car. They got us in school and are basically helping us get back on our feet.
Damon's Grill, 859 E. State St.; Avalanche Pizza, 329 E. State St.; and Christ Community Wesleyan Church, 6275 Kenney Memorial Lane, had all helped bring the three displaced families to the Athens area but decided to hold the meeting last night to ask the entire Athens community for more help.
We've been burning our cell phones up trying to do this ourselves
said Dave Brennan, who has been instrumental in helping one of the families enroll their children at Hocking College and Ohio University. Now
we really need the community to step up. We need help today.
Brennan outlined several key areas that these families need help with, including financial resources, housing, job prospects, childcare or household help, medical or dental assistance, household equipment and transportation needs. He then asked Athens residents to be contact persons in these areas for future evacuees.
Brennan also asked those at the meeting to help compile a packet listing resources in Athens for those unfamiliar with the city.
We live here; we know how to get around town
Brennan said. Many of these people didn't even know Athens County existed two weeks ago.
Nine displaced students -including two from the Gullard family -are attending OU, and 26 displaced adults and six children are residing in or around Athens County.
Throughout the meeting, representatives from the various organizations offered everything from expedited admissions processes at the local universities (including OU), money for six months' worth of rent, groceries, diapers, babysitters and even a gently used crib.
We want to make these people feel like Athens is their home
Brennan said.
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Emily Vance
