Help 'GMA' Revive Robin Roberts' Hometown
Sept. 21, 2005 — -- When Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast, it hit very close to home for "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts. Roberts grew up on the Gulf Coast in Pass Christian, Miss., a town of 6,000 that lies about 13 miles west of Gulfport.
"It is so hard to comprehend the level of devastation," said Roberts, who reported from the town for "GMA." "Mile after heartbreaking mile -- movie theaters, strip malls, corner stores blown to pieces, and entire neighborhoods just gone."
As cities and towns along the Gulf Coast begin the rebuilding process, "Good Morning America" will document the recovery effort in Pass Christian, 80 percent of which was destroyed in the storm. "GMA" will also partner with the Salvation Army and the Corporation for National and Community Service to "adopt" Pass Christian.
Both the Salvation Army and the Corporation for National and Community Service, which runs AmeriCorps among other programs, will send teams of trained volunteers to Pass Christian to help people rebuild their homes and lives, as well as identify the long-term needs of the community.
If you'd like to join "GMA" and its partners in helping to rebuild Robin's hometown, you can visit the following Web sites to get more information and make a contribution.
Click here to visit the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Additionally, "Good Morning America's" guests, including Sheryl Crow, Geena Davis and other stars, are donating personal items to a celebrity auction to benefit Pass Christian. "GMA" fans will be able to bid on mementos from a star and help the town at the same time.
Check back for the latest details, and watch "GMA" for an announcement of the date of the auction.
Donations will help provide some of the supplies residents of Pass Christian say are most needed: extension ladders, rope, shovels, axes, hammers, nails, saws, gas cans, drills, tarps, cleaning supplies, extension cords, sunscreen and insect spray. Donations will also provide supplies for schools so the children of Pass Christian can get back to the books.
The healing has already begun in Pass Christian. Local officials believe around 1,500 people have returned to the town, and they are ready to get back to normal life.
"This town will never be the same," said Pass Christian Chief Administrative Officer Malcolm Jones. "But it will be better."