Town of Wayland Officially Endorses
Work of Wayland To Waveland !
WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2006, AT 7:30 P.M. ARTICLE 1: RESOLUTION ENDORSING THE WORK OF THE WAYLAND To determine whether the Town will vote to formally endorse the work of the Wayland Hurricane Relief Steering Committee in its efforts to assist the city of Waveland, Mississippi, and direct the Wayland Hurricane Relief Steering Committee to discharge its responsibilities in a way that continues the public/private partnership aimed at providing short and long-term support to the residents of Waveland, Mississippi who sustained major losses due to Hurricane Katrina, including developing personal relationships, assisting in the rebuilding effort, continuing fund-raising efforts, and leveraging the many skills and resources that Wayland residents can offer. |
Speaking in favor of the article: Steering Committee Co-Chair Pam Lessor
“Mr. Moderator, Pam Lesser of 47 Claypit Hill Road and I appreciate the time to speak to this article.The purpose of Article 1 is to make a public statement of Wayland’s collective resolve to continue our long-term mission in support of Waveland, Mississippi, our sister community which was greatly affected by Hurricane Katrina.
First and foremost, on behalf of the Wayland to Waveland Steering Committee, I want to sincerely thank everyone in this community who has become involved and supported this town-wide effort. We feel that it’s imperative that everyone here tonight and every citizen of Wayland take it upon themselves to know about this significant undertaking and most importantly, make it their own.
The Wayland to Waveland Hurricane Relief effort is a unique partnership between two communities working together to provide support to Waveland residents devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
I could give countless examples of the efforts and accomplishments attributed to the work of Wayland citizens…the 100 FEMA trailers that we outfitted with household supplies, the 500 gift boxes filled by the Wayland Angels Network, the 150 “Dear Santa” helpers who went the extra mile to make sure Waveland children knew they weren’t forgotten during the holidays... the list goes on and on. The blue handouts that were passed out at last week’s Town Meeting detail just some of these efforts by Wayland individuals and town organizations. If you didn’t see this handout, you can pick one up on the table on your way out or visit our web site for more information.
Those of us who have been to Mississippi and seen firsthand the overwhelming devastation wrought by Katrina, have had to remind ourselves that every little act of kindness we can do, plays a much larger role in their recovery. However small our actions feel in the scheme of this incredibly daunting recovery effort, we know to take it just one day at a time, one family at a time, one home at a time. And we know we’re making a difference.
But whether you visit Waveland or help from afar, the situation is best told through the stories of Waveland residents we’ve had the honor to meet.It’s about Stacy, a woman who went through a seriously high risk pregnancy, who just this week delivered a severely mentally and physically disabled baby, who has a 6 year old at home, whose husband was just deployed to Iraq, and who lost everything.
It’s about Miss Hazel, a 79-year-old widow who also lost just about everything, who is living alone and isolated in a FEMA trailer and who didn’t even know if she had house insurance, never mind try to navigate through the bureaucratic quagmire of FEMA, the SBA, or her own insurance company. And the sad fact is, because of her isolation and lack of transportation, she has fallen through the cracks like so many others.
It’s about Mr. O’Dell Davis, who, when we delivered a 20 dollar gas leaf blower to him in December, exclaimed, “I’ve been trying for 3 months to get back on my feet, and with your help, I can now re-open my business.”
Virtually every citizen in Wayland has contributed in some physical way and we as a committee are most grateful for your support. We have many immediate and future projects we will be focusing on, including a major fundraising effort to rebuild the Waveland Civic Cultural Center. But we hear repeatedly that our greatest contribution has nothing to do with gifts and supplies. Over and over, our friends in Waveland express thanks and relief that we have simply been here to listen. We have all listened via email, letters and phone calls to the countless difficulties and losses endured by our Waveland friends, and the point they come back to most frequently is that they feel they’ve been heard!
This initiative has brought Wayland residents of all different backgrounds together at a time when our lives as citizens are fraught with divisive issues that only drain us of our collective power to do something GOOD. At the very moment that our town seems to be undergoing profound change, and when we need most to be reminded of the importance of listening to one another, our friends in Waveland have driven the lesson home.
The outpouring of appreciation and gratitude that the people of Waveland have shown us knows no bounds. I’d like to read an excerpt from a letter sent by a Waveland family to the Wayland family they connected with through the “Dear Santa” project. She writes….
“Just wanted to drop you a quick line and let you know how we are doing. Wyatt, my 10 year old has started baseball (thanks to donations and volunteers from Wayland who put our park back together).It is so nice to go to a game and feel 'normal.'
"My oldest son Steven is finishing his first year of college and doing well. Bless his heart, every weekend that he is able to come home, we put him to work on something for the house.
"Our town is slowly getting back together.For those of us who live here the progress seems more than to those who come to visit. Hurricane season is soon approaching and the atmosphere is starting to get a little tense.We are fortunate that we are back in our house, but we are an exception. About 80% of the people are still in FEMA trailers or in some type of temporary housing.
"This summer will be hard on the children, there is nothing for them to do, everything was destroyed. I still have a hard time holding back my emotions when I think about people like your family and all of the other people who in some way took the time to care. I'm not sure if the message gets across strong enough of how the people here thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
"This tragedy has really changed our lives more in a positive way than negative.
"The biggest comfort is to just know that people care.It's not about the large donations, but the teenagers who walked through our neighborhood of FEMA trailers singing Christmas carols, or the couple who had put together ziploc bags of basic medical supplies and hand delivered them. The caring people who would just give us a hug when we needed it most.How can an email even begin to express our thanks."
And in the simple words of Waveland Mayor Tommy Longo…
“One never imagines themselves in the middle of one of the worst disasters in U.S. history. Thank God there have been people like those in Wayland, MA to help, and thank God they continue to help as we move forward to rebuild our city.”
Through the Wayland to Waveland effort, we have demonstrated as a group that when the objective is noble and the urgency at its greatest, we can indeed work together to bring about positive and profound change. We ask for your continued support and generosity as we help our friends in Waveland, MS, and thank you for all you have already done and will continue to do to help.