California Unit Annual Meeting

Tracey Jones President of Tremendous Life Books of Mechanicsburg, PA will be the keynote speaker on the subject "Leadership in Christian Non-Profit Organizations" at the annual meeting of the California Unit of Mennonite Disaster Service to be held on Saturday May 12, 2012, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Doubletree Hotel in Bakersfield, CA.

Tracey is the daughter of well known Christian motivational speaker Charlie Tremendous Jones and she has incorporated a lot of her father's material into her presentation. You can view her web site at www.tremendouslifebooks.com .

We are grateful to Mennonite Insurance Services of Reedley California for underwriting the financial costs of the meeting including the lunch.

Anyone interested in the work of Mennonite Disaster Service is invited to attend. For more information, contact the California Unit, mds.calif(at)gmail.com .

Washington Unit Partnership Home House

The Washington Unit built a PHP house in Ramona, CA. Their client, Jerry, lost his home in the fires of 2007. The house wall panels were built in a parking lot in Royal, WA, were trucked to Ramona, and are being “put together” on the foundation there.

Dedication

A large group gathered to dedicate the last of 15 homes that have been built by volunteers in response to the Witch Fire of October 2007. This last home was built as a PHP house by the Washington MDS Unit.

People representing the San Diego Foundation were at the celebration to have the first-hand experience of what their generous gifts of funding had accomplished. These funds assisted the clients with resources to buy materials for the new homes.

A very effective partnership was formed to work together to make a difference in the lives of families that were without hope, as home owner, Jerry Gentellalli said with tears welling up in his eyes.

Most of the California MDS Unit Board, Freeman Hershberger, Region IV Director and Cory Axness, Arizona Unit Chair, were also at the dedication.

Freeman Hershberger, Region Chair, and Cory Axness, Unit Chair, from Phoenix, AZ,  also attended the dedication and when the service was over they hooked up the tool trailer and started home helping to bring this chapter to a close.

 The walls go up at the PHP house in Ramona, CA.

Region IV Information:

Articles of Operation