A Reader Volunteers in Houston

Thank you Ms. V for commenting about your work. Here's what she says:

Went to Geroge R. Brown at 5:30am this morning. They already had so many
volunteers that they turned people away. They did let me in because I trained w/
Red Cross the other day. Walked among the people, talked with young mothers,
children and elderly folks. The sense that I got was one of total helplessness.
These people lost everything. They are confused as to the kind of services they
can get and how to get the money that they did have. The shelter is very
organized and they are using the loudspeakers to inform the public about
pertinent information. They had a lock down and are not letting new people in
today because FEMA is taking care of the people inside the Geroge R. Brown
Conv.Cntr. first. When I got there at 5:30am this morning, one gentleman was
already standing in line to find out about a possible job. The door for that
area was not opening until 10:00am but he knew if he did not get there very
early he would be standing in a very long line. Children always amaze me! A
group of them went upstairs by themselves to have breakfast. They all were
bouncing around as if this was the norm. Another little girl about 5 yrs old got
a hold of a new puzzle. She was excited to put it together with her daddy on the
little cot they were on. Another little group was left to themselves because Mom
found a job. As I walked around, I saw a station set up for "Prayer". An elderly
lady was there weeping as someone prayed for her. I checked out a number of
people and was told to get their forwarding address and their assigned badge.
Needless to say, most could not give me one. They had no idea where they would
end up. That made me so sad.Today is Saturday, a day for happy news. I am
utterly amazed at how many people are so willing to serve. There were yellow
shirts eveywhere (operation compassion), red shirts (team leaders) medical
staff, red cross and the list goes on. The spirit of voluntarism in this country
is strong, alive and awesome! I am proud to be called an American!