While searching through my parents’ collections, I came across a song that took me back to those deserted streets in the Ninth Ward, back to standing on cement porches with residents telling me horrifying tales, and back to the frustration I often felt surveying FEMA trailer after trailer. This song just seemed to portray all of the sadness the Gulf Coast still harbors when recalling the aftermath of Katrina, so it was added to the documentary. It was not until we wrote the credits, though, that we discovered the ironic name of this tune-”Song of Hope.”

While witnessing overturned cars, residents rescued from their rooftops, and boats floating through streets, the song manages to inspire hope that eventually, someday, things will be right again. These two minutes of the documentary tended to be the most touching for me, reminding me that with volunteer help, it can be overcome. Funny what a little tune can do.

With hope,

Gretchen

PS-Want to see and hear the ways hope is working in the Gulf Coast for yourself? Purchase your copy of Volunteers of Hope: Overcoming Katrina today.

Gulf Coast residents are strong, no doubt. Their durable spirits are inspirational in the face of adversity, and that is one of the major reasons volunteers continue to give of their time and skills in areas torn apart three years ago. Residents’ optimism, though–almost with a youthful innocence–is what strikes me the most. They step up as a community because they believe that their town, their parish even, could one day return to a level of normalcy that formerly felt like home. The backyard cookouts could take the place where piles of rotted out furniture currently lay, and their neighborhoods would be full of playing children instead of moldy FEMA trailers.

With your help, these hopes can soon be turned into reality. If you want a clearer picture of what the volunteers do for the Gulf Coast, purchase a copy of Volunteers of Hope: Overcoming Katrina. You’ll be helping residents rebuild by donating your money to groups itching to step up and get things done. If you feel called to be part of one of those groups, drop us an e-mail or visit the “How to Help” tab, and you can learn more about a few of the great rebuilding organizations of which you can be a part. We’re raising the funds to raise the walls of homes. Step up to raise the residents’ spirits once again.

With hope,

Gretchen

It’s mind-numbing to think that anything could be compared to Hurricane Katrina. I’ve talked with a few people who have evacuated, and they all say how surreal it seems that Gustav could come after just three years. Jeff, our Project: Katrina Hope Insider from New Orleans, has left with his family, but they weren’t sure where they were going. I’m thankful that he’ll be safe.

As of this writing, Gustav is expected to make landfall in a bit more than eight hours. The most agonizing part right now is the waiting game we all must play. We can’t fathom how the residents feel in this moment, but a piece of the rest of the Insiders is there in the Gulf Coast.  The same goes for many of you who have volunteered there before. However, know that this feeling of helplessness can soon be turned into action, dependent on the strength of Hurricane Gustav. The volunteer force that we’ve been working to recruit this past year may prove to be twice as vital in just a few days.

In the meantime, please keep them all in your thoughts.

And with that, I would like to introduce the Project: Katrina Hope documentary, entitled Volunteers of Hope: Overcoming Katrina. After hundreds of hours of work and the support of hundreds of people, I am proud to direct you toward the right sidebar of this website, where the DVDs are now on sale in the Project: Katrina Hope store for only $10 plus shipping costs. Every penny of this money is going to volunteer groups just like the ones shown on the documentary who are called to make a difference in the lives of Gulf Coast residents. You can also purchase a Project: Katrina Hope t-shirt, if you haven’t already.  For more detailed photos of the products, visit the PKH Gear tab.

Volunteers of Hope: Overcoming Katrina tells the stories of groups from across the country that have traveled to rebuild the area. It shares the emotions of homeowners as they realize that a return to normalcy is imminent. Most importantly, it presents a call to action. The Gulf Coasts needs volunteers–just as much now as it did three years ago. In the United States, there are tributes on TV today recalling the anniversary and preparing for Hurricane Gustav. Know that the rebirth of New Orleans, the rest of Louisiana, and Mississippi is a direct result of volunteer efforts. The documentary will show that more clearly than I can write.

Get your copy today, and support the Gulf Coast’s rebuilding efforts.

With hope,

Gretchen

Patience is a polite quality and often appropriate, but it rarely gets things done. Impatience, however, is the hunger for results and intolerance for excuses and delays.

Therefore, it has been shocking to myself and to my friends and family that I have waited an entire year to complete this documentary…and I’m still awaiting the conclusion. It seems that for once, though, being patient has been worth it for me. Patience allowed me several trips to the Gulf Coast to hear the stories of men and women, young and old, who have dealt with Katrina firsthand. Patience granted me the ability to edit the documentary at a slow, but meticulous pace. And patience has been the key toward dealing with several major setbacks of the documentary.

Now, I can be impatient again, though, because the documentary will be completely finished in less than a week! I’m itching to have it completed, sitting in lovely dvd cases, waiting to be shipped out to locations across the country and throughout Europe. Just hang in there a bit longer, Project: Katrina Hope supporters. We’ve almost done it.

In a small change, the “snail mail” donation address will soon be located in a different state, but Project: Katrina Hope will keep you updated.  The address change is necessary as I relocate to Europe but wish to make the transition simple for our awesome donors.  PayPal donations are still the most convenient way to donate, though, as several recent supporters of the organization can attest to.   

Just one month until the hard work comes to fruition!

With hope,

Gretchen

Dale Kimball gave me a positive picture yesterday. This executive director of the Southeast Louisiana Disaster Recovery Ministry has seen a lot of volunteers come through New Orleans-52,000, to be exact. Many of these are repeat visitors, but they provide a constant source of energy and the ability to raise the spirits of the residents who appear to have lost hope. It’s difficult not to feel motivated after speaking with him.

I returned to St. Bernard Parish twice in the last day to learn more about giving and taking. I met with Sharon, a homeowner who lost everything, to hear her story. Sharon has also been used to giving as a mother and “adopted mother” for many of her neighbors’ children. Katrina has taught her, though, what it means to receive the love and hard work of numerous volunteers. She is so ecstatic to be moving out of her FEMA trailer and into her home in a matter of weeks, and she thanks the volunteers on every possible occasion.

This morning, I visited the crew from St. Paul’s in Indiana to see what progress they had made on their house in Violet. Hundreds of screws and dozens of pieces of drywall later, this still-motivated group gave the homeowners walls in which to distinguish their rooms.

Jeff and I took time this morning to meet with Bruce Nolan, a reporter from the Times-Picayune who focuses on the faith-based organizations that recruit volunteers to rebuild. He gave us a perspective of how astonished most residents were that the stream of volunteers has continued at this pace almost three years after Katrina. We at Project: Katrina Hope are doing what we can to ensure that this flow continues for years to come.

Finally, Jeff gave me a new taste of New Orleans culture by treating me to raw oysters at the Acme Oyster House. I quickly took to the salty mush in the half-shells and was delighted to take in a new bit of the culture.

My mother and I will be eating at Bon Ton Café tonight (remembering all of you from my hometown in Illinois) and driving back tomorrow after another incredible week. Then, it will be time to get to work, bringing the Project: Katrina Hope documentary to life, once and for all. I can’t wait to give you a glimpse of what I’ve been seeing in the past year.

With hope,
Gretchen

Despite a few setbacks, the Michigan group was incredibly efficient in helping the neighborhoods clean up. The first crew I followed painted and cleaned up the yard of a home for the city, and the second crew worked to restore a 108-year-old home to its pre-Katrina status. The strong work ethic of both of these teams was admirable, and the age range (from high school to adult) proved to be proficient.

On my way back to New Orleans, I stopped in Bay St. Louis, Miss., to visit Lagniappe Presbyterian Church. One of the AmeriCorps team members told me about the volunteer work this church coordinates for that region, and it was refreshing to see so much enthusiasm to help the community. Pastor Jean Larroux told me about the groups who came from all over the world to stay at Lagniappe and rebuild the area, and they left their mark (literally) on Bay St. Louis. Each team creates a sign showing where they are from and the distance from their home to their temporary housing at the church. Lagniappe is housed in an old warehouse and is doing some incredible work.

With hope,
Gretchen

I was fortunate enough to speak with Mr. Perez after most of the people had left, and it really struck a chord with what our organization is attempting to accomplish. He urged me to focus on the appreciation of the residents for all that the volunteers had done for them, and he made a statement that rings true with so many residents of the region. “I wish the volunteers could stand in my shoes and feel the love I have received from them. I’m lucky that this all happened to me.”

It is amazing how grateful the residents are for all of the work being done here, and this evening was an incredibly uplifting experience for all of the volunteers. Even more exciting is that I will be able to share this story with all of you and with many more people across the nation, hopefully inspiring others to come down and be a part of the positive growth of the region.

With hope,
Gretchen

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