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FAMILY
RESOURCE COUNSELLING CENTER
www.fracc.org
Brad
Aldrich is the Executive Director of the Family Resource Counselling
Center in Gap, Pennsylvania. They have set up a “Community
Disaster
Counselling Fund “to give needed counselling to the victims,
families, and first responders involved with this tragedy.
“FRCC
is striving to become the premier Christian counseling and education
center in Lancaster and Chester counties in Pennsylvania, USA. We are
doing this by providing professional and quality Christian outpatient
counseling and offering interactive resources to the community in the
form of a public library (full of Christian and mental health
resources), workshops and satellite offices.”
HERMAN
BONTRAGER
Herman
Bontrager grew up in a Beachy
Amish home in Indiana. He received his M.A. in Sociology from the
University of Florida. As secretary of the National Committee for
Amish Religious Freedom he has worked with Amish on a variety of
religious liberty and other legal matters affecting the Amish. He
served 14 years with Mennonite Central Committee as Director of Latin
America programs and the International Peace Office. Since 1990 he is
CEO of Goodville Mutual Casualty Company in New Holland,
Pennsylvania. Herman was also appointed as the
spokesman for
the Amish community during the tragedy and is the head of the Nickel
Mines Accountability Committee that is receiving contributions for
the community and applying them to the needs that resulted from the
shootings.
The
statement that follows is released by the Nickel Mines Accountability
Committee on behalf of the people of Nickel Mines and the surrounding
communities that were affected by the shooting at the Nickel Mines
Amish School. The Amish Leadership is especially interested that this
statement be published in its entirety.
Statement
of thanks to
the public and plans for use of contributions
Nickel
Mines, Pennsylvania – On October 2 seven Amish
families in
our community experienced the unimaginable -- ten of their young
daughters were shot, five fatally, by a gunman who invaded the Amish
school where their children attended. The whole community, Amish and
others, were horrified and shocked that such evil could be done to
the most innocent members of our peaceful community.
Messages
of condolence and care,
financial contributions, and offers of all kinds of assistance began
to pour into the community almost immediately from the local
community and from around the world. We, the people of the Nickel
Mines community, are humbled and deeply thankful for this outpouring
of love. Each act of kindness, the prayers and every gift, small or
large, comfort us and assure us that our spirits will heal even
though the painful loss will always be with us. Thank you for your
generous kindness and for walking with us in this “valley of
death”. We wish we could thank each of you personally.
In
those first hours and days we
experienced personally the love and care of our neighbours and the
public and private service providers as they responded tirelessly and
selflessly. Specifically, we acknowledge and thank the following:
volunteer fire companies, especially the Bart Township fire company;
fire police; Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department;
Pennsylvania
State Police and local law enforcement people; ambulance and
emergency response teams; hospitals and all the related medical
providers; coroners; churches; community volunteer groups;
transportation providers; and the Mennonite Central Committee,
Mennonite Disaster Service, the Anabaptist Foundation and the
numerous banks and businesses that are collecting funds. To all those
we failed to mention, thank you, and apologies for not naming you.
We
thank people from the news media
who sensitively reported our tragedy to the world and in many cases
wrote thoughtful commentary that helped the world grapple with values
that are dear to us -- forgiveness, non-violence, mutual caring,
simplicity and life in a community of faith. Above all, thank you for
the acts of kindness you showed us even while you were doing your
reporting work.
The
Roberts family is also
suffering. Please join us in showering care on them, praying for them
and in assisting them with financial needs that they face.
We
have
organized the Nickel Mines Accountability Committee to receive
contributions and apply them to the needs that resulted from the
shootings: medical and counselling services, transportation for
victims, transportation and extra living expenses for family members
attending to the victims, rehabilitation, long-term disability care,
modifications to homes or schools if needed to make facilities
handicap accessible, and any other expenses resulting from the event.
If adequate funds are received contributions may be made to charity
funds of health service providers and to volunteer public service
entities that responded to this event without charging for their
services. Funds received in excess of what is needed to respond to
the Nickel Mines Amish School tragedy will be contributed, as the
committee deems appropriate, to needs arising from other tragic
events within or outside the Amish community.
Thank
you and
God bless you.
MENNONITE DISASTER SERVICE
www.mds.mennonite.net
Kevin King is the Executive Director of the Mennonite Disaster service in Akron, Pennsylvania.
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