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Arlington,
Virginia, August 12, 2002 (CIDI) -- On August 10, 2002 the Center
for International
Disaster Information (CIDI) staffed an exhibition at The Multicultural Festival
funded by The Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, Peaceful
Intercommunity Project. This successful event was a festival organized for the
entire community in the Culmore area of Falls Church, Virginia, to promote good
race relations, communications, respect and connections across cultures,
languages, customs and age groups. Sponsors included Boat People SOS, Community
Resilience Project, Dar Al
Hijirah Islamic Center, First Christian Church, Glencarlyn Road Baptist Church,
Hispanic Committee of Northern Virginia, Korean Community Services Center,
Northern Virginia Family Services and St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church. Over
five hundred participants shared their
customs with each other, celebrating a unique bond that brings them together in
security and friendship in the United States.
Many of the visitors to the CIDI booth already
had been either personally involved in an international disaster, or members of
their families were lost because of them. Others had actually worked at disaster
sites such as the earthquake in
El Salvador. They shared their
experiences with CIDI staff, and readily agreed to the wisdom of financial
contributions to allow professional relief organizations to purchase exactly
what disaster victims most urgently need and to pay for the transportation
necessary to distribute those supplies.
The CIDI was able to add many applicants
interested in training as customer-care personnel to work with the Center in
the event of a major international emergency. It was particularly gratifying to
observe the special interest, concern
and wish to serve demonstrated by the secondary school and college students who
volunteered for service.
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