Along with the rest of the country, we have watched in disbelief as Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and, most recently, Ike, have devastated the Gulf Coast region. It has been over four years since Katrina, when the streets of New Orleans filled with water, and levees, poorly built on shifting sands, failed. What began as a natural disaster very quickly became a man-made one.
You may wonder what these areas look like now. The healing of these southern cities continues, but the progress is very slow. Many experts believe that it will take 10 years (or more) to rebuild the areas affected by the Hurricanes. The L.A. Times reported, “New Orleans…and neighborhoods remain choked with more than 68,000 vacant homes -- most of which have been moldering since the flood of August 2005.” White FEMA trailers continue to sit in yards; homes, boarded up with plywood, still bear graffiti, and homeowners work, wait and hope. Despite the grim view, the people of the area fight to rebuild. All agree that the reconstruction of the Gulf Coast would not be possible without the assistance of many volunteers. Last year, the media shifted its attention to Hurricane Ike and Galveston, Texas. We are reminded that our work in New Orleans is not yet complete, and there is much work still to be done.
Our arrival in New Orleans will be followed by an orientation and discussion of the city, focusing on areas affected by the hurricane, most notably the Lower Ninth Ward. For the next two weeks, we work under the supervision and guidance of RLT leaders and construction supervisors. As a volunteer, you may drywall several rooms of a home, repair a roof, install a floor, gut a house, or plant a garden. Most importantly, you will help a family who is trying to rebuild, move out of their FEMA trailer and get back into their home. This work is both physically and emotionally strenuous and you will need to be able to work hard, but it is not necessary to have construction experience.
While we cannot call our time in New Orleans “The Big Easy,” our time here is not a hardship. Each day we break at noon for lunch and replenish our resources before completing the day’s work in the afternoon. We get to know other volunteers, the families we are serving and members of the community working or living near the work sites. While this trip is a labor of love, there is also time for fun and exploration. Branford Marsalis, the famous jazz musician, once said, “New Orleans is the soul of America.” We’ll understand what he meant by witnessing some of the things New Orleans is famous for — music, art, architecture, and especially cuisine. Evening and weekend activities include bayou tours, Cajun cooking classes, a performance at the world famous Preservation Hall and exploration of the French Quarter.
We end our time in the South with a banquet to honor our hard work and celebrate the families that we’ve served. We look forward to the day when all of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast is rebuilt and renewed, upholding the promise made over four years ago, to continue to stand by them in their struggle through the days and weeks, months and years ahead.
| AGES |
DAYS
|
TUITION |
DATES |
ARRIVE/DEPART |
| 14–18 |
15 |
3,950 |
6/26/10–7/10/10 [session 1]
7/17/10–7/31/10 [session 2] |
New Orleans, LA
|
