Prayer Hotline Press Release 3/30/20

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AUSTIN DISASTER RELIEF NETWORK LAUNCHES PRAYER HOTLINE TO MEET
EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS OF GREATER AUSTIN AREA RESIDENTS

March 30, 2020, Austin, TX – In response to the increasing spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the economic crisis our nation is experiencing, the Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN) has partnered with Spirit 105.9, The Bridge 101.1, Waterloo Media, Unceasing Prayer Movement, and Christ Together to launch a citywide Prayer Hotline today. The hotline hours will be Monday through Saturday, 9AM-8PM for an indefinite period of time.

The spread of the virus, coupled with the growing number of job losses, is contributing to increasing economic uncertainty, fear, anxiety and much more. ADRN believes the need for a citywide Prayer Hotline is greater now than any other time in Austin’s history.

“I met a business owner yesterday who was terrified because he had to let most of his employees go and
didn’t know if his business would survive,” said Daniel Geraci, ADRN’s Executive Director. “With churches
closed, thousands of people losing their job, dramatic lifestyle changes, and Austinites shut in for an extended period of time, we believe individuals and families need a hotline they can call for comfort, support, and prayer in a time where they may be losing hope.”

For the last 10 days, ADRN has worked around the clock to convert their physical hotline facility into a virtual hotline in order to give trained volunteers the ability to work from home. The hotline will be backed by three tiers of trained volunteers to support callers. Every hotline volunteer has been trained to provide callers with basic emotional and spiritual support. ADRN’s advanced trained volunteers have been trained to provide trauma care to callers experiencing higher levels of stress. ADRN is also working with its network of nearly 200 churches to provide additional support to families in need of emotional, spiritual and physical support.

ADRN’s Prayer Hotline number is: 512-537-7100. Callers are encouraged to call back as often as needed. Callers are also encouraged to call back if calls are not being answered due to surges in call volumes, as ADRN will be adjusting volunteer capacity as quickly as possible to meet large call volumes. The prayer hotline has been set up to handle thousands of calls per day.

FINANCIAL DONATIONS
Monetary donations are greatly needed to support ADRN’s personal protection equipment (PPE) drive in
coordination with the City of Austin Homeland Security Emergency Management (HSEM), Austin Public
Health (APH) and ADRN’s Prayer Hotline. Every donation made will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to
$35,000, to help support ADRN’s disaster response efforts. To give online, go to adrn.org/give and Click the “Donate Now” button under the “Coronavirus Response” section.

ABOUT ADRN
Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization comprised of more than 190 greater Austin churches and thousands of trained volunteers. ADRN’s network enables church members to organize, prepare and respond quickly in the event of a disaster, large or small. ADRN network churches, volunteers, business partners, local agencies and community organizations provide in-kind and monetary donations and additional volunteer assistance that enable ADRN to fund the rebuild/repair of survivor homes and provide immediate assistance to those in crisis. Since 2009, ADRN has brought emotional, physical and spiritual relief to more than 43,000 individuals, sponsored more than 3,100 families and given more than $16.0 million in disaster relief funds. Learn more at ADRN.org.

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Donations Disclaimer: Gifts to ADRN for a specific disaster response will be used as designated. If a specific disaster response becomes overfunded and identified needs have been addressed, the ADRN Board of Directors will redirect your gift to a similar response effort. All other gifts to ADRN are unrestricted and may be used for any purpose consistent with the mission and vision of ADRN.