FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2005
Contact: Mr. Tim Warneka
Phone: (440) 944-4746
Email: Tim@timwarneka.com
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UD Alumnus Volunteers in South, Donates Proceeds to help Hurricane Homeless
(Cleveland, Ohio). A family riding out a hurricane in a 20-foot sailboat. A 65-year old grandmother who lost everything. Children playing with sticks and stones in front of their destroyed homes. These are just a few of the images that stay with Tim Warneka, ‘89 from his recent volunteer stint in Mississippi with the American Red Cross (ARC). Warneka, an alumnus of The University of Dayton, is donating 10% of the profits from his new book, Leading People the Black Belt Way: Conquering the Five Core Problems Facing Leaders Today to various disaster relief organizations.
“I was deployed right on the coast of Mississippi,” reports Warneka, who lives in Wickliffe, Ohio, “and the devastation was simply unreal.” A licensed clinical counselor, Warneka’s volunteer work consisted of supporting the emotional needs of both Red Cross staff as well as Mississippi residents. “Several of the areas had been hit by Katrina, then by Rita, then by tornadoes spawned by Rita. Understandably, the people were reeling.” The devastation impacted the volunteers as well. “After working in this incredible damage all day, the volunteers were both physically and emotionally drained by the end of the day,” observed Warneka.
For the time that he was in Mississippi, “home” was a Seabee Naval Base in Gulfport, MS. With between 650-750 Red Cross Volunteers sleeping at the base each night on cots spaced two feet apart, it was the largest staff shelter ever in the 125-year history of the Red Cross. “In some ways,” laughed Warneka, “I felt like I was back living in Founders Hall.”
His biggest lesson? “I have a renewed sense of the importance of community,” observes Warneka. “Which is a continuation of the lessons that the Marianist taught me at UD. Being able to serve and live in community in this way truly warmed my heart.”
A leadership expert, Warneka had nothing but praise for the American Red Cross. “In less than one month, with primarily a volunteer force, the ARC was serving an area the size of Great Britain. Any consultant will tell you that is a staggering task.” Warneka’s book, Leading People the Black Belt Way, is available through the publisher's website at: www.asogomi.com. Warneka is donating 10% of all sales to the various Disaster Relief Organizations.
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