Youth and adults from First UMC in Ottawa grabbed rakes and tools to help clean up yards and clear downed tree branches on Sunday, March 5. The communities of Ottawa and Naplate in Lasalle County are pulling together to clean up and help victims of the EF3 tornadoes which left a path of destruction through north-central Illinois on Feb. 28. The pastors, church leaders and volunteers from the three United Methodist Churches in Ottawa: First UMC, Epworth UMC (note: Carolyn Lukasick is Pastor of Epworth UMC) and Evangelical UMC, stepped up to help their neighbors in the days following the tornadoes with meals, cards from children, cleanup and assistance at the Multi-Agency Resource Center this past week.
Volunteers: The North Central Illinois Council of Governments (NCICG) is coordinating the volunteer efforts. Anyone interested in volunteering, individuals and groups alike, should call 815-433-5837. A volunteer form is available on the City of Ottawa website at www.cityofottawa.org and is required to be completed and approved prior to anyone doing any volunteer efforts.
Bishop Sally Dyck and DeKalb District Supt. Young-Mee Park visited all three Ottawa churches during last Sunday’s morning services to offer a message of hope, prayers and support.
Donations: The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services is accepting relief donations on behalf of the Ottawa/Naplate Recovery Assistance Effort at 2901 Columbus Rd. (The OLD Wal-Mart store) in Ottawa, IL. Anyone wanting to donate items following the tornado must call 1-815-433-0798 and receive an authorization number before any donations will be accepted. Please call before purchasing any items so that they may coordinate on what items are needed most urgently.
For those who would like to make a monetary donation, you can contribute to the NIC Advance for Disaster Response, through our church office. Checks payable to Christ United Methodist Church should have “N.I.C. Advance/Disaster Response #500000148” noted on the memo line.
For the latest updates and information on how you can help, visit the NIC Disaster Response Facebook page.