March 6, 2011
Bishop Paul Leeland
100 Interstate Park
Suite 120-A
Montgomery, AL 36109
Dear Bishop,
Since the April 2011 tornado outbreaks, our Conference has learned that response and recovery are not just a coastal concern. This past year hundreds of volunteers have responded and thousands of volunteer hours have been logged in our response and recovery efforts. Our people have answered the call with both physical and monetary donations and the primary goal of the Recovery Team has been to be wise stewards of all these gifts.
You and the entire Conference staff and leadership have been valuable in their roles. Neil McDavid has been open and tireless in helping make connections and decisions on a Conference level and Susan Hunt has consistently helped message to churches and volunteers throughout each district. Early on, DS John Bonner and his office has also been a candid and hardworking team member. These layers of communication and support are extremely important to mounting any sort of successful response and recovery.
Our team on the ground in the Demopolis District is the backbone of our efforts and they are a talented and dedicated team. The Conference is extremely blessed to have as our Recovery Team: Charles Walters, Patricia Grindle, and Tommy Warren. Their work to help rebuild communities and individuals in the Demopolis District has been outstanding and superbly handled. Each has brought to the recovery not only their faith and caring for families in desperate need, but also a very high standard for their projects and case management. They represent us with integrity at the Long Term Recovery Tables and our recovery efforts in the Demopolis District would not be as forward moving and successful without the leadership of this dedicated team.
As we approach the one-year anniversary of the storms, I thought it timely to express to you the sense of duty and honor they carry into the field each day and my joy in working with them. It is my sincere prayer that we finish this course and have a quiet time in our upcoming weather seasons.
Blessings & Peace,
Amelia Fletcher
Disaster Response Team Coordinator
Alabama-West Florida Conference United Methodist Church
