Press Release

Shawnee Employees Share Experience in Biloxi

Tuesday, November 8, 2005 Shawnee on Delaware, PA. --- The Shawnee Institute is a 501 (c) 3 organization located in Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania that traditionally focuses on theater and concert programs to benefit the local community. However, brought on by the recent wave of natural disasters, this non-profit organization has begun to extend its reach to people in need all over the world. Because it had very close ties to Thailand, the Institute began to take action immediately after the massive tsunami struck the coasts of Southeast Asia. By raising over $300,000 for relief victims in Phuket, the Institute quickly created a snowball effect of relief efforts. This project sprouted the "Hands on Thailand" organization, which quickly branched into "Hands on Worldwide", and has now become "Hands on USA"- formed to support the victims of Hurricane Katrina. In order to have the most beneficial impact, each of these organizations has been strategically developed to be very mobile and spontaneous. Their overriding goal is to be amongst the first to arrive on the scene and provide as much support as possible, well before the larger organizations like the Red Cross and FEMA are able to reach the area.

Peter Kirkwood, son of Shawnee Inn owners Charles and Virginia Kirkwood, is currently on the Board of Directors for Hands on USA. Peter was living in Phuket, Thailand when the tsunami hit, and quickly became involved in the vast hands-on relief efforts taking place there. After returning to the States, Peter helped to expand the reach of the local grassroots organization in order to help the victims of Katrina. Having a vast amount of experience in aid work, he assembled a crew of volunteers to travel to Biloxi, Mississippi to work with Hands on USA in providing relief for the many hurricane victims. A small team of Shawnee employees was quickly put together, as it was not hard to find people who were looking to contribute. Jon Kirkwood (33), Resort Business Developer and brother of Peter's; Matt Siptroth (32), Resort Grounds Keeper; Monica Restrepo (26), Public Relations Manager; and Jason Startari (25), Resort Executive Assistant, traveled with Peter to Biloxi.

The team arrived in Biloxi on Friday, November 4 th and was picked up at the airport by two fellow Hands on USA volunteers. To familiarize them with the area, Peter and company were taken on a tour of the city - they were immediately blown away by the widespread destruction. When asked about their initial reactions, the team unanimously agreed that the devastation was much worse than expected. "When you stop seeing the images in the media, you sort of have a tendency to just believe that everything is alright", explains Jon Kirkwood about his immediate impression of the remnants of Hurricane Katrina. "Things were definitely not alright".

After arriving at headquarters, a church hall donated to the organization, the volunteers from Shawnee set up camp and formally introduced themselves to the group. On a normal night at the base, the group would begin preparing for dinner around 6:00 PM. However, this night would be slightly different, as a large group of the Hands on USA volunteers would be attending a high school's homecoming football game in order to show support for the resurgence of the local community. Aside from being an exciting game on the field, the event was far more meaningful as a symbol of the return to "normalcy" for the devastated community.

Much to the Shawnee gang's fulfillment, the next two and a half days would be jam-packed with hard work and labor-intensive relief. Days 1 and 3 consisted of interior housework, where the team would spend many hours cleaning out and "gutting" two very badly damaged homes. These homes, directly hit by the hurricane and left unoccupied for over two months, were filled with mold and unsalvageable furnishings. Equipped with gloves and protective facemasks, the interior group of about 10 volunteers needed to first, remove all items from the house (furniture, appliances, carpet, personal belongings….), and second, gut the entire building by tearing down all the drywall, wood paneling, door frames, and tiles. Battling through the unbearable stench, these crews were given two instructions: "Be very careful of those around you..., and -Do not open the fridge!" After two hard days of interior work, the team from Shawnee was very pleased to have been able to directly help out these families that were so much in need. Reflecting on the experience, Monica Restrepo remembers that, "the interior work we did on our trip was very rewarding, but it was tough. It was very sad having to throw away all of someone's personal belongings."

On Day 2 of the trip, the "PA Team", as they were called by their fellow volunteers, chose to do some exterior work, mainly helping to remove fallen trees from residents' properties. Again, this work was very labor intensive and very much in demand. Of the 8-person crew assembled for this job, two people ran chainsaws to cut limbs, two ran the tractor to clear debris and heavier objects, and the other four people carried away limbs and other smaller objects. The other Hands On volunteers affectionately referred to these exterior crews as the "termites", and the PA team was especially honored to wear this tag for a day. Drawing from the skills he has gained from working the grounds at Shawnee, Matt Siptroth was especially valuable during this job. Along with running a 40-pound chainsaw all day long, Matt provided the leadership necessary to complete the tasks at hand in a safe and efficient manner. When asked what role he would take on during a more extended trip to Biloxi, Matt was very quick to smile and respond,"Termite".

Despite the relatively short length of their trip, the PA Team returned home from Biloxi on Monday evening – reluctantly because of the overwhelming amount of work yet to be done and the guilt of leaving it unfinished. However, each of the volunteers was left with the satisfaction that they were able to contribute and a refreshed outlook on life stemming from the many others who have chosen to do the same. Short, but sweet, this trip to Mississippi is one that will never be forgotten by the five members of the "PA Team".

Derived from the positive feedback from over 500 volunteers, word-of-mouth has provided Hands on USA with a continuous flow of manpower for this project. However, in order continue doing what they are doing, the grassroots organization hopes to raise an additional $200,000 to finish their duties in Biloxi, just in time for the larger government agencies to take over. Hands on USA plans on remaining in Mississippi until late January of 2006, and is always seeking new volunteers. Aside from the cost of transportation to Biloxi, volunteers do not have many expenses once there, since the organization provides room and board.