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Winnipeg, Man.
MDS reps for Canada meet


Mennonite Disaster Service held an annual Region V (Canada) meeting at Osler (Sask.) Mennonite Church on October 20. The meeting was attended by regional and provincial board members, as well as binational MDS staff members: Tom Smucker, executive coordinator; Carla Hunt, assistant coordinator; and Nathan Koslowsky, assistant administrator.

The board addressed a number of issues, including short- and long-term volunteer processes, financial procedures, planned giving and fundraising, congregational contact people, new guidelines for cooperation between national non-government organizations, maintaining MDS history, and activities at the new Winnipeg binational office. Updates on projects, including the New York City Restoring Hope project, were given. A community fundraising dinner and a program consisting of worship, binational and provincial updates and volunteer sharing were held the previous evening.

The Winnipeg binational office opened last year to deal with Canadian volunteers. The annual report revealed that 37 long-term and 170 short-term Canadian volunteers have served at binational projects this past year, in addition to local responses. In the past year, 47% of the 2100 volunteers were under the age of 26 and 87% were under 65.

Mennonite Disaster Service is the disaster relief agency of Anabaptist churches, including Mennonite, Amish and Brethren in Christ, for natural disasters that occur in North America. MDS has five regions and its head office is in Akron, Pa.

 – adapted from a report by Gord Friesen, Region V director

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Last modified October 13, 2006.

© 2006 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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