Members of the rock band 3 Doors Down will visit the Presbyterian Volunteer Village in Gautier, Mississippi on Tuesday to present a $75,000 donation to aid Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in its hurricane response efforts.
The band, whose members hail from nearby Escatawpa, Mississippi was an early supporter of disaster relief efforts following last fall’s Gulf Coast hurricanes, and continues to raise money for the cause through CD sales and special concert appearances.
With sales of more than 12 million albums since their 2000 debut, 3 Doors Down is one of the most popular and consistent rock acts in recent years. Their hits include “When I’m Gone” and “Here Without You.”
According to spokesman Mark Smith, band members were impressed with the effectiveness and efficiency of the Gautier Volunteer Village, especially its low administrative costs.
We’re big believers in getting the most mileage out of every dollar we raise,” said Smith. “We like zero expenses outside the materials cost.”
The Village has a monthly overhead of approximately $8,500, but returns more than $240,000 worth of labor value for the same period, while also leveraging materials and equipment expenses many times over. In recent months its volunteers have focused on rebuilding and reproofing homes in Gautier, Moss Point and Pascagoula.
Smith, guitarist Chris Henderson and other band members are expected to make the presentation at the Village at approximately 1 p.m.
He said Henderson, whose home was flooded with five feet of water from the storm, ‘discovered’ the Village in a field off Martin Bluff Road while driving and stopped to discuss its operations with volunteers.
“We’re really proud to be part of it,” said Smith. “In fact, Chris said he’s going to volunteer at the Village once the band finishes its schedule of ‘make-up’ concert dates.”
Smith is chairman of the board of The Better Life Foundation, a non-profit organization created by the band to improve the lives of needy children and young adults with special needs. Within days of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall on the Gulf Coast, the organization shifted its priority to assisting recovery efforts, and has raised more than $300,000. On December 2, the band will host its third annual Better Life Foundation Benefit Concert at the Mobile Civic Center.
More information about the foundation and the band are available online.
The Gautier Village is one of six villages currently operated by PDA throughout the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts. The self-contained “cities” each house and dispatch 75 to 150 volunteers who come from across the U.S. and typically stay for seven to 14-day shifts. PDA designed the villages to be easily located, or relocated, to areas of greatest need, but they also are capable of functioning at a single location for years. PDA recently projected its support for survivors continuing through 2013 with a budget of $14.4 million.
PDA is an international program of the 2.4 million-member Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to its relief and recovery activities on the Gulf Coast, PDA has responses on-going in Indonesia, Pakistan, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Malawi, Niger, Sudan and Central America. Since 1946, it has provided field-trained disaster teams, financial assistance and human services annually to disasters in 55 countries on six continents. |
