Lutheran Social Services receives grant
to help young hurricane victims
June 15,2006

LAKE CHARLES, La - The United Way of Southwestern Louisiana recently awarded a grant of $29,225 to Lutheran Social Services to help underwrite Camp Noah, a weeklong faith-based day camp for children affected by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

The grant will support five vacation Bible school-styled camps designed to help about 250 children who have been traumatized by the back-to-back disasters. The grant will pay for recreational equipment, meals and professional counseling and mental health services for the children.

“We are grateful to receive the funding that will allow us to help children who have been affected by these recent disasters,” said Bernard Scrogin, LSS state disaster coordinator for Texas and southwest Louisiana. “These children deserve our care and attention, and now we can get them the help they need.”

Children are the most vulnerable of those affected by the hurricanes because their parents are often so traumatized themselves, or so precoccupied with rebuilding their lives, that the emotional needs of their children are overlooked. Camp Noah, using the story of Noah and the Ark, helps the children understand why disaster happens and gives them hope for the future.

Camp Noah supplies children with the coping skills necessary to go forward from a disaster. It gives children the opportunity to confront their fears and ask questions about the hurricanes in a therapeutic and supportive environment.

The United Way of Southwestern Louisiana focuses on improving lives and solving pressing issues in the region.

For information about Camp Noah, please click here.