HOUSTON CHRONICLE ARCHIVES 

Paper: Houston Chronicle
Date: FRI 01/11/02
Section: A
Page: 23
Edition: 3 STAR

Telethon to benefit victims of Allison
Five stations to televise star-studded concert

By KRISTEN MACK, RICHARD VARA, 
Houston Chronicle Religion Editor Staff

Five Houston television stations will air a telethon to benefit victims still recovering from Tropical Storm Allison.

CBS, NBC, ABC, WB and Telemundo affiliates will broadcast the One Houston United Telethon Concert from 7 to 10 p.m., Jan. 26.

Houstonian country singer Clint Black will host the concert, with special appearances by his wife, Lisa Hartman Black, Destiny's Child, the Beach Boys, La Mafia, Rodney Crowell and jazz artist Joe Sample.

"When the idea of the telethon concert came up, we were excited but cautious," said Jacqueline S. Martin, president of the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast, which established One Houston United to provide additional assistance to flood victims.

"We knew we would need unprecedented support from media partners to pull it off. This event is a first for Houston."

Although Allison occurred in early June, thousands of victims are still recovering. Half of the households most affected live in just 20 ZIP codes. More than half of those are families with children or are senior citizens living on incomes below $14,000 a year, the United Way said.

"Like a lot of Houstonians, I thought by now the situation had worked itself out," Black said Thursday after touring homes of those affected.

"People are living in conditions hard to accept. It's almost impossible to manage our emotions. It's not just homes, but lives that need to be rebuilt."

The Houston Chronicle and eight Clear Channel Radio Stations are also supporting the effort.

"We're on a tight timeline, but I think the momentum is building," said Jack Sweeney, publisher and president of the Chronicle.

One Houston United seeks to raise $4 million for flood recovery. All contributions to the One Houston United campaign will be distributed to nonprofit organizations.

Houston's religious community also expressed support Thursday for the relief effort.

"What Allison untied and unraveled, we believe the faith community can restore," said Juanita Rasmus , co-pastor of St. John's Methodist Church.

Bishop Joseph Fiorenza of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston-Houston said a special collection would be taken up by Harris County Catholic churches Jan. 20.

Bishop Alfred Norris of the United Methodist Annual Conference also said a collection would be taken up soon. "Mobilizing the faith community is really something inescapable for (religious leaders)," he said.

Rabbi Roy Walter of Congregation Emanu El said the human suffering created by the storm took a back seat to the terrorist attacks Sept. 11.

"But now we have to look back home and see that we have some tremendous devastation," Walter said.

The concert will originate at Enron Field but will be closed to the public.

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