| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| graciegreeneyes |
Posted - Mar 10 2011 : 11:05:37 AM
I was privileged to go on a volunteer work trip last week, organized by my church conference. There were enough donations from our church in response to hurricane Katrina that we were able to set up a semi-permanent office with three paid staff members in New Orleans. They work with the Red Cross and Salvation Army in helping people who are still working on recovering from Katrina - the bulk of the work in the area seems to have been done by church organizations, there is a saying I heard that sums it up "Insurance companies wouldn't, Government couldn't, Churches did it" there are lots of different churches still sending groups of volunteers down.
Anyway - my parents have led the trip from our Washington-North Idaho conference every year since the hurricane and my son went two years ago - this is the last year that we actually will have funding for the paid staffing, so I took the opportunity to go, along with my folks and my son, and 10 others from our region.
It was an amazing experience - first in being able to give something back, that is just so necessary for your soul. Then, in seeing how much still needs to be done to rebuild New Orleans, there is absolute devastation still visible almost everywhere, even while there is abundant life force everywhere too, and wonderful people.
Anyway - that was my week last week, I can't wait to do another volunteer trip, not sure where it will take me but it will definitely be a part of my life in the future.
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
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| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| graciegreeneyes |
Posted - Mar 11 2011 : 3:53:21 PM
Jamie - I know I was blown away too, it is such a vital city still, yet you see the damage all around. I really want to go back - there is one of our churches that is still not re-opened, needs a lot of work and all of us on the work crew really want to go back, hoping we can help.
Marly - it seems like things are getting back to some sort of "new normal" but since I hadn't been there before it was hard to compare, I hope you personally made it through the hurricanes without too much impact but I know that a lot of people didn't.
Jonni - it was really cool having my son along, he wrote his college entrance essay about his first trip two years ago, it made a big impact on him. That is really cool to hear about your friend and the work he is going to do - if I was at a different place in my life I would be there in a heartbeat. There was a really good exhibit at the Louisiana State Museum that we went to - one of the quotes in response to the aftermath of the hurricane was " Is this America?" it is just hard to believe that this happened in our country - hopefully I am not opening a political can of worms, that was not meant in a partisan way, just that generally we are the ones helping the rest of the world and yet when this happened we were unprepared.
Anyway - life changing experience for sure, so glad I had the opportunity. And I'm very glad I was working my butt off because I sure did eat a lot of good food:)
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
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| SunnyJam |
Posted - Mar 10 2011 : 8:49:22 PM
Thank you for your service and your post, Amy Grace. It brought back all kinds of memories for me. I went to New Orleans last May with a group from my church. I had never been there before and was blown away by the fact that so much still needed to be done so many years after the fact. We worked on one lady's house in a nice community, but every third or fourth house on her street was just totally gone except for the front steps. It was almost other-worldly. Plus, at that time the oil spill had just started and nobody knew what it was going to do or how to stop it. But despite the uncertainty it was a vital, entrancing place with really great people. (Not to mention the food!) I'd love to go back, and I'm so glad to hear groups are still going to help.
Farmgirl #2504 |
| Bear5 |
Posted - Mar 10 2011 : 7:59:15 PM
Amy Grace:
Thanks for your help in New Orleans. After the hurricane(s) the Red Cross was such a help. And, the churches sent nurses, doctors, just to see if the people in our area needed any kind of updated shots, etc... New Orleans and South Louisiana is getting much better, thanks to people like you who give their time and help. Thank you, again.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Mar 10 2011 : 7:39:48 PM
Amy Grace, that is great that you got to go. I feel awful that these people are still having such a hard time there. How bad is it? I have not been hearing much about New Orleans.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| FebruaryViolet |
Posted - Mar 10 2011 : 1:26:52 PM
What an amazing opportunity, Amy Grace. I'm very proud of you, but moreso, I admire what you have taken from your experience and that it has encouraged you to do more, to be more and to extend that love and light to your son.
My friend, Ron, who I mentioned in your Mardi Gras menu thread, just moved there a little over three weeks ago. For a number of reasons, but a lot of what you've mentioned. He's always had a love of jazz music, and New Orleans musicians have always been poor...now many of them are worse off than ever, so he joined a charitable organization that helps out the musicians. When interviewing for positions in NOLA, he found the city still much changed. Still devastation. And he was even more determined to get there and pitch in. In fact, from what the boss at Tulane said after he was hired, the Architecture Division at Tulane has been instrumental in helping to rebuild the city, and they're looking for people who are willing to still get dirty, young people, old people alike, who believe in the city and will keep on, keepin on. Ron is definitely one of those folks!
I'm so grateful that your church hasn't forgotten them, Amy...it's an amazing place that touches your soul in many ways. I recall visiting there as a younger girl and felt that there was no other place like it on this earth.
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
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