ELCA Youth Gathering Has Effect on New Orleans

YOUTH GATHERING HAS EFFECT ON NEW ORLEANS

Thirty-five thousand members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
seem to have left a
very positive impression on New Orleans.  The ELCA Youth Gathering was held
July 23-27, with
pre-gathering events beginning July 20.  The 28,400 high-school-age
Lutherans and 6,900 adults
used facilities ranging from the Louisiana Superdome and several riverboats
to the Ernest N. Morial
Convention Center and 41 hotels.  "The city of New Orleans benefited from
approximately
$32,400,000 spent on hotels, food, retail, recreation and transportation,"
said Tamara North,
convention sales manager, New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors
Bureau.  "In
addition to the economic impact, the youth gave something even more valuable
to the city that
cannot be measured," North added.  "Through their enthusiasm, goodwill and
considerate
attitudes, they left a lasting impression and renewed appreciation with our
local community."
Thousands of the youth took part in "servant events," working long hours in
Louisiana heat and
humidity, on three of their five days in New Orleans.  They took on a
variety of clean-up projects in
the city's Desire, Florida and Algiers Point neighborhoods -- sweeping
sidewalks in public housing,
shoveling debris from vacant lots, painting over graffiti, clearing drains
and gutters for elderly
residents, digging community gardens and picking up litter around school
buildings.  The young
Lutherans brought 25 tons of non-perishable food items for Second Harvest
Food Bank, New
Orleans, which collects and distributes food worldwide.  They also dropped
more than $325,000 in
collection plates to benefit ministries around the world.

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html