NICEVILLE — Nancy Sorenson was a mother, a wife and a friend. The woman from East Rockaway, N.Y., was one of more than 100 people in the United States who died from Hurricane Sandy last October.
Sorenson‘s cousin, Niceville resident Mary Quinn, said the mother of three left a legacy of love and faith. Now, Quinn wants to cherish that memory and help to ease the devastation up north by raising funds for Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens.
On Oct. 29, Quinn said her cousin was trying to retrieve some mementos from her home when the storm surge sent water rushing into her home.
A large mirror fell off the wall and shattered and severely cut Sorenson’s arm. No emergency personnel could respond at the height of the storm, so Sorenson’s family watched as she bled to death.
“Being from here, you know the damage (hurricanes) can do, the disruption, the devastation,” Quinn said. “When you’re looking at somebody crying because she’s looking at her destroyed home, what amounts to a pile of her life — the photos, the mementos, all the things you can never replace — it makes you want to do something.”
Quinn has asked Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida to help raise money for the victims of the super storm. Some people still are without power in below-freezing weather.
The “Grab a Fork, Lend a Hand” fund-raiser will be at 6 p.m. Saturday at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church’s Parish Life Center in Niceville.
“Our goal is to raise $2,000,” said Kelly Humphrey, director of marketing and development with Catholic Charities. “We just want to tell them we’re thinking of you, we’ve been there. It’s a chance for us to support our brothers and sisters in New York.”
The event will feature booths with foods from around the world as well as southern treats and New York classics. There also will be door prizes and a 50-50 donation drawing.
“If we can alleviate some of the suffering on the financial end for everyone involved, perhaps it will help them heal. It can be us and it has been us going through this.
“We need to pay it forward.”
TO LEARN MORE For more information about the fund-raiser, call Catholic Charities at 737-0864. Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church is at 1200 Valparaiso Blvd. in Niceville.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fundraiser scheduled to help victims of Hurricane Sandy