Newtown Pulls Together

To Help Hurricane Victims

Many children and their parents in Newtown neighborhoods have been working hard this week to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They have brewed iced tea and mixed lemonade, baked cookies and made hand-lettered signs, Staffing their card table refreshment stands and filled their cigar box coffers –– all for the cause of helping hurricane disaster survivors.

Joe and Linda DeMarkey of Greenwich were returning from their vacation in Maine last weekend when they decided to stop in Newtown to visit their grandchildren, Madelyn King, age 7, and sister Hannah, 4, daughters of Laura and Richard King of Meadow Brook Road.

The girls had set up a lemonade stand at the end of their parents’ driveway on Sunday, and in just three hours they raised $178.50 by selling lemonade and cookies and asking for $1 donations. On Monday, the girls set their stand up again and raised another $182.50. They have promised that the entire $361 will be given to the hurricane victims.

In other relief efforts, one group of Yogananda Street residents raised $225. Children living on Bishop Circle raised more than $700 celebrating lemonade and iced tea, and a parent from Ashford Lane called to say that her children were joining a group of more than 20 kids who were doing the same thing in their neighborhood.

Businesses, Churches, Town Offices Join In

Bit of Tack, at 99 Main Street South, is a drop-off location for anyone who would like to make a monetary donation to the American Red Cross. The store is open Monday through Wednesday and Friday from 10 am until 6 pm, Thursday until 7 pm, and Saturday until 5 pm. Right now the Red Cross is looking for financial donations, and Bit of Tack employees are requesting that donations be made in cash or by check payable to the American Red Cross, with Hurricane Katrina Help noted on the memo line. For additional information call Bit of Tack at 270-8225.

Members of Newtown Congregational Church (NCC) did a bit of their own Hurricane Katrina relief fundraising last week. On Sunday morning, Shannon Hicks addressed the congregation and asked for donations to be forwarded through The United Church of Christ’s channels into a relief-specific fund called Hope Shall Bloom.

With Ms Hicks standing at the church’s front door and Vicky Truitt by the entrance to the church’s meeting room, each of the ladies held a firefighter’s boot loaned by Hook & Ladder member Mark DeWolfe. NCC members filled the boots to the tune of more than $6,700 in less than an hour. The money that goes into Hope Shall Bloom will all go directly to hurricane relief efforts.

St Rose Church collected $12,500 at masses last weekend for hurricane relief and will hold another collection on the weekend of September 17–18 when Catholics throughout the Bridgeport Diocese will be asked to donate at all services.

Governor Rell last week asked that Connecticut residents donate the following material items: bottled water, easily opened nonperishable foods and snacks, batteries, blankets, tarps and tents. Those are the only things that are being looked for right now. Items can be taken to the town highway department’s garage at Turkey Hill Road during the week between 7 am and 3 pm, and they will then be transported to the Waterbury Armory (the governor activated each of the state’s armories to receive donations).

Anyone wishing to make cash contributions can contact the Red Cross at 800-HELP-NOW or www.RedCross.org; the Salvation Army at 800-SAL-ARMY or www.SalvationArmyUSA.org; or AmeriCares at 800- 486-HELP or www.AmeriCares.org.