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Published
by
International Orthodox Christian Charities,
September 16, 2005
Vlade
Divac Supports IOCC Emergency Response,
Delivers Aid |
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September 16, 2005
Baltimore (IOCC) -– A truckload of relief
supplies destined for children and families
displaced by Hurricane Katrina was delivered by
National Basketball Association All-Star Vlade
Divac to an International Orthodox Christian
Charities (IOCC) Emergency Response Center
hosted by St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church
in Houston on Thursday.
Divac, who spearheaded an effort to collect
humanitarian supplies in Sacramento, Calif.,
where he played for five years with the
Sacramento Kings, drove for two days to
personally deliver the provisions to Houston,
Texas.
The truckload of items included baby supplies,
diapers, bedding, toys, water, personal
toiletries and other supplies.
“I am especially concerned for of all of the
innocent children who have suffered from this
disaster,” said Divac as he delivered the aid to
a team of IOCC workers and clergy at the relief
center. “The devastation caused by this
hurricane reminds me of the destruction caused
by war in my homeland.”
A group of more than 260 Vietnamese children and
adults who were displaced from New Orleans by
the devastating storm received the much-needed
items in a distribution which took place the
same day at the St. Catherine Convent in
Houston, Texas. The convent, now serving as a
shelter, has hosted the group for the past two
weeks.
In the days since Hurricane Katrina struck the
Gulf Coast, the IOCC Emergency Response Network
has provided essential humanitarian assistance
to families displaced in Texas, Louisiana,
Alabama and Mississippi. Assistance has included
tons of water, food, personal hygiene articles,
diapers and other baby care items, blankets, air
mattresses, bedding and other emergency needs.
Named one of Sporting News’ “Good Guys,” Vlade
Divac has been committed to providing assistance
for over a decade to children and families who
have been displaced by the wars that ravaged his
native Yugoslavia.
Together with International Orthodox Christian
Charities, Divac has helped provide emergency
aid, and brought educational programs and
vocational training to thousands of children in
Serbia-Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ethiopia
and the United States.
Contributions to IOCC’s Hurricane Disaster
Response Fund may be sent to IOCC, “Hurricane
Relief,” P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, MD
21263-0225. Donations may also be made online at
www.iocc.org or by calling toll-free
1-877-803-IOCC (4622).
IOCC’s emergency response network, comprised of
trained Orthodox clergy and their U.S. parish
communities, provides emergency services to
people struggling to recover from natural or
man-made disasters.
Founded in 1992, IOCC is the official
humanitarian aid agency of the Standing
Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the
Americas (SCOBA).
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