Chapel services donate to Haiti Published March 3, 2010 By Nick DeCicco 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE,Calif. -- Through events at the base's Chapel services, more than $11,000 was raised in support of earthquake victims in Haiti. The funds were amassed during one weekend's collections in January and a youth talent show earlier this month. "Our people here were very generous," said Father David Deibel, pastor of St. Michael's Parish at Travis. "I'm proud of the way they stepped up." Days after a 7.0 earthquake struck the Caribbean nation Jan. 12, Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Steven Torgerson said the Catholic and Protestant services announced that the following weekend's collections would go to Haiti relief efforts. During several services on Jan. 23 and 24, more than $10,000 was given. "We all knew this is what the congregation wanted to do ... give to these huge needs in Haiti," Chaplain Torgerson said. The money collected at the Catholic Masses went to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund as well as Food for the Poor Inc., a nonprofit Christian organization which was on the ground in Haiti prior to the temblor. The latter is a group to which the base's Chapel services contribute annually, Father Deibel said. The more than $4,000 raised during the Protestant collection went to World Vision United States, a Christian relief and support group, Chaplain Torgerson said. "People just felt good to be able to give," Chaplain Torgerson said. "Everyone wanted to feel like they were doing something for this tragedy in our hemisphere." Father Deibel noted the collections happened on the same weekend that members of the 615th Contingency Response Wing and the Expeditionary Medical Support Unit-Basic team from the 60th Medical Group were dispatched to the Caribbean in support of Operation Unified Relief to help the victims of the Jan. 12 disaster. "It was very much a hit-home sort of project for us," he said. "It's not unusual for our people to be sent off for any number of emergency or catastrophic issues. I think our people identify with that." The funds from the Feb. 21 talent show - totaling $1,100 - were directed to the American Red Cross. The show was organized by and featured base youths, Chaplain Torgerson said. The chaplain was touched by the level of caring he saw among the members of the base community. "We have such a generosity of spirit here," he said.