(1888PressRelease)
June 23, 2006 - Biloxi, MS May 31, 2006 -- It is with great sorrow that the West Seneca Youth Bureau, the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service and Hands On Network announce the death of West Seneca, N.Y. AmeriCorps member, Dan Kivel.
The body of Kivel, 34, a Hurricane Katrina relief volunteer who dedicated his life to serving others, was found off the coast of Biloxi by authorities at 6 p.m. on Monday, a day after Kivel was reported missing after being swept from the gulf shore by a rip current.
Kivel had been wading in the water with a friend Sunday evening when the seaward current dragged the pair from shallow water. The friend managed to swim back to shore, but Kivel struggled in vain to stay afloat before help could arrive. Kivel was missing for nearly 24 hours before his body was found on Monday.
“Our hearts go out to Dan’s family, friends and fellow team members,” said Mark Lazzara, Executive Director, West Seneca Youth Bureau. “Dan’s hard work, strength and joy provided the backbone of our Gulf team.”
A Detroit native, Kivel was a member of the West Seneca AmeriCorps Gulf Coast Recovery team that had been doing hurricane reconstruction work in Bay St. Louis since early May. Having previously served in the Gulf with the Red Cross, Kivel brought experience and leadership to the hundreds of other AmeriCorps teams and Hands On volunteers working to gut homes, rebuild playgrounds and connect local citizens with their loved ones in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Kivel, whose AmeriCorps term was due to end in July, was an invaluable member of the AmeriCorps team and was greatly admired by those he worked with. His passion, heart and unrelenting will to serve others touched and inspired everyone who knew him.
“Mississippi is blessed to have received so much from committed, dedicated people like Dan Kivel,” said Marsha Meeks Kelly, Executive Director, the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service. “Over the coming days, we will continue to honor his memory by remembering the passion and caring nature that brought him here to rebuild the Gulf Coast, and by recommitting our own lives to service.”
About West Seneca Youth Bureau
The West Seneca Youth Bureau is an organization committed to developing the potential of youth, promoting community service and volunteerism, supporting families and improving the Western New York Community. West Seneca AmeriCorps has been a program of West Seneca Youth Bureau since 1994.
About AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is a network of local, state and national service programs that connects more than 70,000 Americans each year in intensive service to meet our country’s critical needs in education, public safety, health and the environment. AmeriCorps members serve with more than 3,000 nonprofits, public agencies and faith-based and community organizations. Since 1994, more than 400,000 men and women have provided needed assistance to millions of Americans across the nation through their AmeriCorps service.
For further info: Call Mark Lazzara, 716-913-7575
