Letter: Grateful for support of relief efforts

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To the editor,

On Sunday night, Nov. 9, I watched a compelling Facebook video portraying the immense destruction of Rockaway Beach in Queens, N.Y. from Hurricane Sandy.  I immediately felt that I had to go down there and help first hand.

I put up a post on my Facebook page asking for people willing to go there that next Saturday, Nov. 10, to help with cleanup duties and bring very needed supplies to this extremely hard hit area. Immediately people were interested in helping. I asked for donations via Facebook and my business, Balanced Body Chiropractic Center. People and businesses alike were so generous that we were able to bring down about $500 to $600 of essential supplies. I would personally like to thank the businesses and individuals in town who made this mission a success.

First, thank you to the six women, who so graciously came down for the day and helped to pack up my van in the a.m. to endure the close quartered ride to the Rockaways. Just getting there proved to be a challenge as there were no traffic lights as we approached our destination. A one lane road in and out housed increased traffic as there were destroyed cars and boats and piles of sand making travel even more difficult. We made it and with the help of www.rockawayhelp.com we were able to find a place to drop our donations and then team up with Team Rubicon to receive a cleanup assignment.

We met some great people, saw some incredible signs of the mass destruction of Sandy, handed out needed supplies and packed some garbage to clean the streets of debris. The outpouring of support that we witnessed that day was incredible and humbling. It was the amazing humanitarian effort that moved me the most. The community strength and volunteer action that it attracted was an amazing thing to witness. I will carry this experience with me for a long time. For anyone thinking about volunteering, just do it.  They will need help for a long time to come.

Be thankful every day for what you have, people lost everything and are still without power.  Check www.rockawayhelp.com for more information or to even stay informed about the status of the destruction.

A huge thank you to some local businesses who stepped up to the plate and really went above and beyond to make our mission a success. We thank, Big Y, Mike’s Pizza, Ford’s Pharmacy, Nelson’s Pharmacy, Fine Wine and Liquor, Tom Mills, Walmart, Nordelli’s, John McCormick at State Farm, Dr. Jenny Bess Lennon and the many individuals who donated supplies.

Dr. Jackie Flynn

Balanced Body Chiropractic Center

Naugatuck