| EAGLES
WINGS FOUNDATION NEWS
A team relief effort Palos
Heights couple working
— here and
along the Gulf Coast — to help survivors
By
Daniel Duggan
Thursday, September
8, 2005 - Daily Southtown
News
Mike and Nancy Valenta
are used to being a team
as parents and co-workers.
This week, they're
teaming to aid hurricane
victims, with Mike
having left for Mississippi
on Saturday in a recreational
vehicle filled with
supplies.
In their Palos Heights
home, Nancy's phone
rings continually as
she tries to track
down volunteers and
donations of money
and goods to help her
husband's efforts.
"He told me that it's
so much worse than
you can imagine," she
said of Hurricane Katrina's
damage. "He said
get people to send
money and volunteers."
And that's what she's
been doing.
While Mike has been
working with a volunteer
group in Gulfport,
Miss., Nancy has been
working the phones
locally to seek donations.
"They say most married
couples shouldn't work
together," she said. "That's
not true for us.
We're used to it;
we work together
beautifully."
Having spent 25 years
working for environmental
firms, Mike has expertise
with cleaning or removing
leaking underground
storage tanks and in
removing gasoline and
other pollutants that
get into water or soil.
When he saw the Gulf
Coast devastation on
television, Mike told
his wife that he needed
to go to Mississippi.
Nancy said the extent
of the damage compelled
him to act.
"He always said, 'I
want to do something
that makes a difference,' " Nancy
said. "He felt like
he could help, so
he left."
Mike got the blessing
of his boss at United
Science Industries
in Woodlawn, which
he and Nancy work for
from their home office.
USI furnished Mike
with the RV and filled
it with supplies to
distribute.
On Sunday, Mike met
Scott Lewis, the head
of the Eagles Wings
Foundation, a nonprofit
organization dedicated
to hurricane relief.
Lewis, of West Palm
Beach, Fla., founded
the group in 2000 when
Hurricane Floyd hit
Florida.
Lewis and his group
are working with the
Harrison County, Miss.,
government to coordinate
volunteers, scour rural
areas for survivors
and offer help.
"He's a godsend; I
love the guy," Lewis
said of Mike in an
interview from Gulfport. "He's
here working 18 hours
a day, and he kicks
butt."
Nancy said she expected
Mike to be working
on environmental projects,
but she's glad he's
helping.
Nancy
gets a phone call
from him once a day — usually
not for more
than two or three
minutes because of
poor cellular phone
service. Mike
passes along his
needs, and Nancy
tries to track things
down.
"It's so frustrating," she
said. "They have
generators at the
school being used
as a shelter, but
there is no gas to
run the generators."
Finding gasoline has
become her job. She
has been working with
the Illinois Petroleum
Marketing Association
and other groups to
arrange a shipment.
Nancy also has been
seeking donations for
Lewis' nonprofit organization.
She's been asking friends,
parishioners and anyone
who will listen to
donate their money
or their time.
She turned to the
Rev. Edward Cronin,
pastor of St. Alexander
Church in Palos Heights,
who this weekend plans
to ask parishioners
to support Eagles Wings.
"One of our parishioners
is there and working,
and I'll tell them
that he's calling for
volunteers — we
could have others heading
down there this weekend," Cronin
said
Nancy's work keeps
her busy and also keeps
her from worrying more
about her husband's
well-being.
"I worry about him
getting hurt or sick," she
said. "And I hope
that there isn't
too much of an emotional
toll from all of
this."
Daniel Duggan may
be reached at dduggan@dailysouthtown.com
or (708) 633-5969.
How
to help the Valentas'
efforts:
Donations of money
or goods can be made
to the Eagles Wings
Foundation by calling
(561) 689-6283 or by
mail to: Eagles Wings
Foundation, 375 Possum
Pass, West Palm Beach,
FL 33413
Daniel Duggan may be reached at dduggan@dailysouthtown.com
or (708) 633-5969.
How to help the Valentas' efforts:
Donations of money or goods can be made to the
Eagles Wings Foundation by calling (561) 689-6283
or by mail to: Eagles Wings Foundation, 375 Possum
Pass, West Palm Beach, FL 33413
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