by Leah Silvieus, '07
In January, eight alumni spent a week in Mississippi volunteering with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to help repair the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. Organized by Kathie Koopmans Neir, '64, the group cleared debris, installed sheetrock, and repaired roofs on residents' homes. For several days the alums joined efforts with Whitworth students who were working in the area as part of a Jan Term program (see story on Page 15).
"No matter where we went – gas stations, restaurants, stores – people thanked us," Koopmans Neir says. "Numerous people told us they are grateful for the churches, because that is where most of the volunteers are coming from. Hearing the stories of survivors made us realize how God worked in amazing ways to save many people's lives."
Koopmans Neir,
a volunteer dynamo to be reckoned with, was the primary force behind last summer's reunion of 1963-65 alumni. In honor of her work, classmates raised more than $25,000 to endow a scholarship in her name for Whitworth students.
A second Whitworth alumni trip to Mississippi is being planned for January 2007. For more information, contact Kathie Koopmans Neir at 425.868.6140 or koopmans-neir@comcast.net.
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(Photo)
Whitworth alumni and students flank Willie Troutman, a Mississippi resident whose yard the volunteers had cleaned up. "We looked over Willie's paperwork and found that he had been denied the trailer he was expecting," Kathie Koopmans Neir says. "Through the diligent work of Karen (Saldin) Collins, '64, however, he moved into a trailer later that day."
Top row, left: Koopmans Neir, Peggy Kim Burrough, '64, Dot (Guthrie) Roberts, '63, and Karen (Saldin) Collins, '64. Front row, left: Lorin Townsend, '08, Troutman, and Chelsea Larson, ‘09. Participating alumni not pictured: Sally Lash, '65, Charley Pringle, '64, Jack Roberts, ‘63, and Jack Shriver, '63. Koopmans Neir's son, C.J. Neir, also took part. |
