E.V. commits to helping Miss. town

Two weeks ago, Mesa United Way representatives Darlene Duncan, Mary Hutchinson and Margie Frost visited Gautier, Miss.

"They are doing good. Their spirits are high,’’ Duncan said.

I can’t say I’m at all surprised.

Gautier was one of the towns along the Gulf Coast devastated by Hurricane Katrina three months ago. In September, Mesa United Way, in conjunction with several other city and civic organizations, "adopted’’ Gautier, a town of about 12,000 about 50 miles west of Mobile, Ala.

Having spent 14 years on the Mississippi coast, I approved of the choice immediately. Gautier is a middleclass town. The people there are hard-working, self-reliant, proud. They are the kind of people who would make good use of anything they were given.

On Nov. 11, the Mesa United Way trio hit the road to deliver their first items, including a check for $38,514, and assorted medical and school supplies. There were more unconventional items, too. For example, the trio brought with them letters from Mesa schoolchildren written to the kids in Gautier.

They also delivered a 27-foot RV, donated by Tempe resident Bud Schall. The women took turns driving the RV on the 1,600-mile trip. The RV was presented to Pastor David Aultman of the First Baptist Church in Gautier. Aultman’s church is one of the many that are on the front lines of the rebuilding process. The church has a list of 120 homes that they are working to repair or rebuild. The RV will be used as housing for the volunteers who are working on the houses.

The RV is a godsend, if you’ll pardon the expression. Because of the devastation to the area, housing is virtually nonexistent, which means volunteers are living primarily in tents. As the cold, rainy winter days approach, living in a tent will become less of an option.

Because it has been three months since the hurricane, there is a natural tendency to think less and less of the tragedy. But for the people of Gautier, the tragedy continues to be an everyday reality. Their needs may have changed, but the urgency of those needs have not.

"What do they need? They tell us it’s the three M’s: Money, manpower, materials,’’ Duncan said.

From the outset, Mesa United Way has maintained that this will be a long-term commitment. It will be months, even years, before the work is finished.

"The true measure of philanthropy goes beyond the initial emotional reaction,’’ Duncan said. "It’s about seeing it through to the end.’’

I have no doubt that the people of Gautier will see it through to a successful conclusion.

The real test will be not Gautier’s determination, but our commitment.