Project: Katrina Hope…raise funds…raise walls…raise spirits

What a great day it has been. After a sunny and beautiful five-hour drive to New Orleans today, Jeff’s family greeted me with food, conversation, and KU basketball. I’m quite grateful they are allowing Shannon and myself to call their place “home” for the next week, and they are genuinely great people.

A few of the groups we’re meeting up with have had some interesting experiences already this week. The students from Colorado State University had their flight to Atlanta diverted to Alabama because of funnel clouds, but they thankfully made it safely to NOLA, though five hours behind schedule. The group from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, on the other hand, had a celebrity meet and greet today when they toured the Ninth Ward and got to have their pictures taken with Bill Clinton and Brad Pitt! It was a great surprise for them.

I can’t wait to get down to work tomorrow. After picking Shannon up from the airport, we will be meeting with the Colorado State crew, who is working with St. Bernard Project. We’ll know the details early tomorrow morning, and the CSU group is very energetic and ready to get something done–just the spirit we love.

 All of the hard work of eight months culminates in a few hours, and there will be lots of photos to document this great event.

With (lots of) hope,

Gretchen

Posted on March 16th, 2008 by Gretchen Wieland
Filed under: From Gretchen