Hurricane Update

Message from Mo Leverett - Executive Director (posted Sept 6, '05)
We are blessed and deeply moved by the concern and support of so many people, many whom I’ve not even met. Thank you for your prayers. They are deeply encouraging. I am certain it’s the prayers of so many that are sustaining me and our staff during this difficult time.

As devastating as the storm has been, we believe that God has a redemptive purpose for it. And we desire to be with him in that purpose.

As a ministry, we’ve been scattered to the winds, but we’re working very hard to accomplish a number of goals. We’ve been working to locate and help those in need, making sure they have food and shelter. We’re also working to reestablish our ministry office so that our team is well equipped to strategically respond to urgent needs. And we’re working to reopen Desire Street Academy in a different location as we also position ourselves for continued relief and development.

We are thankful that New Orleans has returned to some degree of civility and that most everyone has been evacuated. We are continually assessing the situation on the ground and are prayerful for the city we love. We hope to have a place to return to. We are deeply concerned for the lives of our students and for those who still remain unaccounted for.

Many of you have expressed concern for my family. We are doing well, though we are having difficulty finding the time to process what has just occurred in our lives, our family and our ministry. My family has lost everything. My kids only have the clothes on their backs. And my wife lost precious irreplaceable items like pictures, journals, letters to our children and the earrings I’ve given her on anniversaries. We don’t currently have a family vehicle. We’re struggling as we’re trying to help others in their struggles, but the Lord is graciously sustaining us.

I must say that the staff of Desire Street Ministries is working heroically and tirelessly during this time. They are doing whatever it takes to get the job done. Please keep them in your prayers and encourage them as you are able.

Also, please keep Desire Street Ministries in mind with special gifts and offerings. There’s a lot of need. And there’s a lot of loss. But we also have a lot of vision and passion for the work God has called us to. We feel strongly that our job is not yet complete. We are still in love with our city and in love with our community. God has called us to minister among the people of Desire. Please continue to pray for and invest in Desire Street Ministries.

Thank you for standing with us during this time. It means more than you know.

Mo Leverett
Executive Director

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Message from Danny Wuerffel - Development Director (posted Sept 6)
Over nine years ago, I walked off the Superdome field in New Orleans celebrating a National Championship as a Florida Gator. As I'm watching the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the tattered dome now serves as a reflection of the devastated city, which includes both my home and ministry.

The major break in the now infamous 17th Street Canal was near my home in the Lakeview area, and my wife and I saw a photo of our entire block flooded up to the roofs. As we evacuated New Orleans with only a handful of things (photos, insurance papers and a few clothes), we never imagined everything we owned could disappear so quickly. But we've been reminded of the differences between "needs" and "wants,"and unlike many others in New Orleans, my wife, son and I are thankful to still have each other. God has and is supplying all of our needs. We are indeed blessed! But now our focus is on helping those less fortunate.

Please join me and the Desire team as we work tirelessly to assist others rebuilding their homes, their families and their lives. This website should have all the updates and information you need. As we've been overwhelmed with love and support from the extended family andfriends of DSM, we give praise to God for His goodness. While tragedies can bring out the worst in people, it also brings out the best. Thank you!

God Bless,
Danny Wuerffel
Director of Development

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The Latest (updated Sept 9, '05)
Thank you for your prayers during this very difficult time. We hope to update our site as often as possible in the coming months to keep you posted on our staff and the children and families of Desire and the surrounding communities.

It is now official and confirmed, all of our staff members are accounted for and are living with friends and family from California to Florida, but most remain between Houston and Atlanta! Many staff evacuated with youth from the community and will serve as surrogate families for the time being. We are working hard to provide them with resources they need and continue to search for our students and members of our community.

We have found about 40% of our 190 DSA students. We could use your help in locating the rest of our boys, along with other children and families from Desire that might have come to shelters in your area. If you can visit these shelters, please follow their instructions to post this poster or the following information for evacuees:

"If you have been involved with DESIRE STREET MINISTRIES or DESIRE STREET ACADEMY please call toll free 1-866-633-0070, send email to dsm_dsa_contactinfo@yahoo.com or visit www.desirestreet.org."

We have established a new office in the Atlanta area (new address and contact info) and are rebuilding our adminstrative infrastructure in order to be effective in our relief and recovery efforts. Churches and individuals have offered many resources, from housing and supplies to funds and ready workers. We are very grateful and hope to corral these resources to impact the families we are called to serve.

As you know, it will be quite some time before we can get back into the city of New Orleans to start any type of recovery process. In the short term, we are building a network of sister ministries and relief agencies so we are ready when the time comes. In the long term, we look forward to linking arms with the body of Christ as we work to rebuild our community.

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Prayer Requests (updated Sept 9, '05)
Pray for the safe relocation of our staff and the children and families we serve. Pray families that have been separated will be reunited and find their loved ones alive and in good health.

Pray for our board members and senior staff as they make critical decisions about how best to serve our community, a community now spread across many states.

Pray for all our staff members as they cope with and process this tragedy and as they seek God's will for the next stage of their lives.

Pray we are able to find a location to restart Desire Street Academy as a boarding school. This is one of our highest priorities as we move forward beyond immediate recovery.

Pray that the love of Christ will shine through our ministry and that God would bring true hope during this time of great despair.

Praise God that all of our staff and their immediate family members have been found are being cared for around the country! Pray it won't be long before we can all reunite and begin to rebuild our community.

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How to Support Us (updated Sept 8, 05)
Until the time comes to roll up our shirt sleeves together and rebuild, your financial support will provide us with resources to meet a wide variety of needs. We have a new address for donations. Make checks payable to Desire Street Ministries and please send checks to the following address:

Desire Street Ministries Fund
Whitney National, Northwest Branch
Mail Teller, Attn: Loveda Lockey
1716 Mangum Road
Houston, TX 77092

You can also give online by clicking here. These gifts are processed through Network for Good for a 3% fee, so we encourage you to send gifts (particularly larger gifts) directly to the above address. Unrestricted gifts will give us the most flexibility to meet ever-changing needs.

Supplying clothing and shelter for our displaced staff members, their families and the students at our school is among our top priorities. A number of our families are relocating to Atlanta, and we have found a long-stay solution for them. Westminster Presbyterian Church in Atlanta is coordinating the fundraising for this housing effort. To support this Atlanta-area housing initiative, please make checks payable to Westminster Presbyterian Church, note Desire Street Ministries on the memo line and mail to Sr. Pastor Chuck Frost, 1438 Sheridan Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324. Call the church (404-636-1496) for more information.

Outside of Atlanta, our staff housing needs are being met , and those connected to our ministry who are in shelters are being relocated by those shelters. If you have questions about housing needs, send an email to housing@desirestreet.org.

Gift cards for the following stores will also be helpful as we resupply our families with clothing and other needed items:  Walmart, Target, Footlocker, Academy Sports and JCPenneys.  Please send these cards to our new mailing address: Desire Street Ministries, P.O. Box 956429, Duluth, GA 30095.

Please come back to the site often for updates and join our email list if you are not already on it. Do so by sending requests to online@desirestreet.org.

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Ministry Goals and Funding Priorities (posted Sept 9, '05)
While Hurricane Katrina has scattered the residents of our community across the country, our call and commitment to serve the children and families of the Desire community is stronger than ever.  

During this time of crisis, we’re working tirelessly to meet our community’s great needs. Though the situation and our response may change in order to be most effective, we intend to use donated funds to support the following ministry priorities:

Relief
Scattered across the country in shelters and other temporary housing facilities, we are working to provide comfort and care to those families in need. We are providing for immediate needs like food and shelter while also caring for children who have been separated from parents. We also established a satellite ministry office so our team is well equipped to strategically respond to urgent needs.

Education
Serving 190 at-risk youth from the Desire neighborhood, Desire Street Academy is a beacon of hope. One Desire parent shared that beyond immediate survival, her primary concern is her son’s education, and she’s ready to send her son wherever we are able to reestablish the Academy. We are moving forward to launch the Academy as a satellite boarding campus and hope to begin classes soon. This will provide ongoing discipleship, nurture and an excellent education, minimizing the trauma our students have experienced. Many of these students have been separated from family members and are in desperate need of a community to care for them. This will give us an incredible opportunity to transform the lives of these inner-city boys as they would be in a safe and nurturing environment around the clock.  In New Orleans, we had to send them home to often unstable and difficult home environments at the end of each school day.

Redevelopment
Though it may be weeks or months before we are able to return to the city to begin any type of recovery process, we are committed to rebuilding and rehabilitating. In the short term, we are building a network of sister ministries and relief agencies so we are ready when the time comes. In the long term, we look forward to linking arms with the body of Christ as we work to rebuild our community. We are committed to furthering the redemptive work God began in our community.

We ask for your prayers during this difficult time and ask that you prayerfully consider joining us to accomplish these goals.

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Information on Desire and DSM (updated Sept 9, '05)
We will be adding other helpful links here in the coming days and weeks.

To email updated information on found members of our community, click here.

To read an article about DSM in USA Today (9/9/05), click here.

To view our Tax-Exempt Status Letter, click here.

Are you seeking confidence that DSM is a credible organization and will use your gift appropriately? Review our standing according to national, independent non-profit auditor, Charity Navigator.

To view a map of New Orleans with reference to DSM, click here.

To view post-hurricane satellite image of Desire area with labels, click here.

To view post-hurricane satellite image of the city with labels, click here.

To view the original, interactive version of this city image, click here.

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