Bringing Hope: A Disaster Relief
Journey
c. August 2017, eLectio Publishing
$4.99 EBook
$14.99 Print
Buy on Amazon
ISBN
Memoir
About
the Book
Sometimes the UNTHINKABLE happens!
When terrorists attack, tornadoes
make homes disappear, or hurricanes have communities tumbling like building
blocks, our hearts weep for those in need. With insight into a world most
people are unaware of, Debbie McKinney brings us along on the true story of her
volunteer adventures. Travel with her through both uplifting and emotionally
challenging experiences. An engaging, honest, and heartfelt account of bringing
hope to people after 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, northern New Jersey flooding, and
Hurricane Sandy. Her daily journals provide a unique view behind-the-scenes of
what a volunteer does, experiences, and feels.
My
Review
If you’ve ever wondered what it was
like for those who drop everything and purposefully run into trouble, McKinney’s
book is for you. The author was a long-time Red Cross volunteer with
understanding bosses in her field of college administration who allowed her
leave time to go and help. Although no one could respond to every disaster when
called, and McKinney didn’t, she was part of the recovery efforts of some of
the worst natural and man-made disasters in modern American history. Bringing Hope chronicles her time
rendering aid.
McKinney shares how she became a Red
Cross volunteer, a little history of the organization, and the typical responses
in both her large urban community of Milwaukee, and the smaller, rural
community in northern Washington County. Then she shares her personal journals
and recollections from heart-wrenching major disasters such as the terrorist
attacks on New York in 2001, and two of the formerly worst storms to strike
American coasts.
The book is personal as well as
matter-of-fact, a tell-it-like-it-was account of her role in the aftermath of
tragedy. Not an immediate responder for the biggest disasters, McKinney was
part of the team to go in a week or more after the event and help people
mitigate their losses. Some were easy to take care of; most involved hours on
the phone, deliberate decisions of how much money to give, where to find the
basic necessities, or counselors, all while living away from family sometimes for
weeks in situations little better than the victims.
McKinney’s story doesn’t end with
her personal account, it’s a call for action, encouraging readers to respond by
finding ways to help others where they are. Bringing
Hope is a great story that will touch your heart, make you see red, cry,
and laugh even when it feels as though things will never be the same.
About
the Author
Debbie McKinney is an accidental author,
convinced to share the journals of her volunteer experiences after 9/11 in
Washington, D.C., Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi, and Hurricane Sandy in New
York. She grew up and began her twenty years of volunteering in Milwaukee. A
former Financial Aid Director with a BA in Interpersonal Communication from
Marquette University, McKinney currently lives in rural Wisconsin with her
husband. She enjoys gardening, model trains, and traveling.