Follow Your Heart: Refusing to Abandon Katrina’s Victims

Refusing to Abandon Katrina’s Victims

“Caravans of Love” from Santa Cruz to the Gulf Coast illustrate one man’s will and compassion.

Santa Cruz, California, November 30, 2006—On December 4th, Curtis Reliford will load the truck and trailer he uses in his modest landscaping business with clothes and supplies and, for the sixth time since Hurricane Katrina struck, will head for the still ravaged Gulf Coast. Long after many have forgotten the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Reliford refuses to shut his eyes and heart to the thousands that continue to suffer in the aftermath of the devastation. Countless are jobless, even homeless, their futures in question while the rebuilding of the area moves at a painfully slow pace.

This one man’s mission of mercy began as he helplessly watched the suffering and chaos that followed the storm. Wondering aloud what he could do to alleviate such massive pain, the answer came from his eight-year-old daughter, Teisha, who simply stated, “If anyone can help those people, you can do it, daddy.” That was all Reliford had to hear to decide he would ask his friends and neighbors to help him collect needed items, load them on his truck and trailer and head south.

Realizing that his effort represented a mere drop of water in a giant sea of need, he nevertheless moved ahead and delivered his gifts to people in the ninth ward of New Orleans. There he saw first hand the tremendous suffering and need and vowed to return. While he was away, his friends in Santa Cruz continued to gather contributions and, when Reliford returned, he felt overwhelmed with gratitude to learn he had enough for a second trip.

Reliford’s initial step has turned into a full-fledged movement, now known as the Follow Your Heart Action Network. Through the support of a variety of community organizations, businesses and caring individuals, five “Caravans of Love,” as Reliford calls them, have traveled to the Gulf Coast to help those in dire need. The sixth leaves soon.

Reliford has a special place in his heart for the people of Louisiana. It’s the place of his birth. A simple man, by his own admission, he reveals that he had a rough start in life, causing him to escape into drugs and alcohol. Today, clean and sober for twenty-one years and a productive member of his community, he wants to give others the second chance he feels he received. That’s why he believes his commitment to help Katrina’s victims must go on for years. His will, compassion and determination drive that commitment, making a difference in the lives of many people that perhaps have been forgotten.

Those interested in helping can log on to http://www.followyourheartactionnetwork.com for more information. The FYH Caravan will be collecting and sorting donations at the Santa Cruz Clock Tower on Saturday, December 2nd from 1-6 and on Sunday, December 3rd from 11-6.

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"Our country is in a moral crisis as a people. Those who do nothing invite shame as well as violence. Those who act boldly recognize right as well as reality." - President JFK

Won't you join us in acting boldly?

http://www.followyourheartactionnetwork.com
or
http://www.myspace.com/fyhactionnetwork