2005 Year in Review

You can help with Tsunami Relief

As I looked out the back door of my home I was reminded of the effects Mother Nature can have on our world. What I saw was a three-foot snowdrift left from Tuesday and Wednesday’s winter storm we encountered. It appeared to look like a tidal wave. In looking at it I was reminded again of the great devastation the tsunami caused in the Indian Ocean countries.

Can we even begin to imagine what it was like for these people? In my comparison this three-foot snowdrift in an ants perspective would be the same as the 30-40 foot wall of sea from the tsunami that smashed upon 11 countries in the Indian Ocean. From Thailand to Somalia more than 155,000 people lost their lives and the count is expected to rise as disease, shortages of clean drinking water, food and medicine are in short supplies.

We fear the threat of atomic bombs. According to a CNN report, the power of this was said to be the equal to detonating one million atomic bombs. Though it has been over a week since the Dec. 26th, 2004, tsunami struck, day after day, body after body is being uncovered from the mud and debris.

As we reside in a small midwestern community we ask ourselves, “How can we help?” Community State Bank of Morrison,thecity1.com and The Whiteside New-Sentinel have united in setting up a special account to be utilized in this effort. Monetary needs are in great demand.

There are several relief organizations involved in the relief effort and we have decided UNICEF will be the recipient of our total donations. UNICEF is the central United Nations organization heading up the relief efforts.

If you would like to contribute to this relief fund, donations can be dropped off or mailed (%Tsunami Relief Fund):

thecity1.com, 230 East Main Street, Morrison, between the hours of 9 a.m.- 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Community State Bank, 220 East Main Street, Morrison. The bank hours are: Lobby – Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. until noon. Drive-up and walk-up hours – Monday – Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.; and Saturday, 7:30 a.m. until noon.

Whiteside News-Sentinel, 100 East Main Street, Morrison. Office hours are: Monday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday, 8:30 a.m. until noon.

Deadline for these contributions is January 28, 2005. Checks should be made out to UNICEF.

by Dawn Zuidema, theCity1.com
January 7, 2005