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

There’s not much that can beat the energy of groups that truly perform tasks with a common goal in mind. I am thankful I got to experience such energy this morning. 

After beginning the week at a well-delivered orientation for St. Bernard Project, the volunteer coordinator, Emily, sent me out into the parish, armed with directions to a few of their worksites. I spent my morning with part of the 60+ member group from St. Paul’s Church in Indiana. They added drywall to the ceilings of a Violet, La., home with impressive conviction. At least one member joked they were “Team Perfection” before applying the sheet rock in ideal fashion to one of the bedrooms. These high schoolers and their leaders simply worked together to get things done, and they served as an inspiring first group. I’ll be checking back in on them throughout the week to record their progress.

I passed the afternoon in Chalmette, La., watching a group from Chicago do mold remediation on a home owned by a very nice man. Jerry, the homeowner, stopped by several times throughout the day to thank the high school boys and their leader and do a bit of work of his own. It was easy to tell that these volunteers got along well with one another, and they worked at a quick pace to seal away any mold left in the wooden frame from Katrina. I was able to spend a good amount of time speaking to Julie, their site supervisor from AmeriCorps, who told me about her work in the past year teaching in schools and helping disaster victims. The St. Bernard Project and AmeriCorps are both very lucky to have such outgoing and dedicated people, such as Julie.

This evening will be spent catching up with a few old friends from the University of Kansas and enjoying what New Orleans has to offer.

With hope,

Gretchen

Posted on June 23rd, 2008 by Gretchen Wieland
Filed under: From Gretchen