My Nonprofit Reviews

I only wish I had more time to share the very impacting way ITDRC has served our church and community as we are still in recovery and rebuilding efforts. To this very day, every time we are able to communicate beyond our building and block, we are reminded of just how essential this organization is in a time of disaster. Our church, Coney Island Gospel Assembly, has been serving this community for 56 years. My father had the good sense to elevate the church sanctuary and as providence would have it the waters of Super Storm Sandy stopped just short of the final step into our main level. Our lower level was completely destroyed -- kitchen, fellowship hall, youth center, departmental offices, and most notably our electrical room and telephone room. Because we were accustomed to serving the community, thousands of individuals flocked to the church in the aftermath of the storm. High rise apartments were without elevators, stores were closed, there was no power, and there was no communication whatsoever. We were having meetings by candlelight while we tried to get generators going. It was like this for weeks. We become a relief hub in the community and literally served HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of people with SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS worth of aid. Our efforts were recognized by the Robin Hood Foundation at the global 12-12-12 concert from Madison Square Garden, link: http://youtu.be/05EMPkLYbpY. If it were not for Information Technology Disaster Resource Center we would have never been able to accomplish what we did. In this information and digital age, access to the internet and telephone are bare necessities. Like angels of mercy your team came in, assessed the need, provided wi-fi and multi-line telephone service. This enabled a vital communication which turned the church from an impromptu hub to a major disaster relief center for all of Coney Island and beyond. To this very day we are benefiting from the generosity and support we have received from ITDRC. We are all volunteers here, no one gets paid, no one. Needless to say, with no IT staff, there was an occasional need for tech support. Even after they left our premises physically, their presence was felt on a daily basis both in usage of the technology provided to us and with tech-support calls for the equipment they provided to us and any other technical needs we had. In the 21st century, this service is the most vital in disaster relief. Communications mean everything. I urge anyone looking for an innovative and impacting way to reach out during a disaster to support ITDRC. The words "LIFELINE" to describe an organization were never more fitting. Thank you to all who made this support for our church and community possible. Pastor Connie Hulla, Brooklyn, NY

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