Reflection Round 4: 6 days with Saint Bernard Project.

So, my year is coming to a close. Blue 4 finished it’s final round with Saint Bernard Project (SBP). In my 6 days with SBP, I worked at a Care Fair, mowed lawns, ran errands and led volunteers to unpack lumber and supplies from moving trucks. Each day was a different experience, but overall I didn’t have enough time with them to declare this project as my favorite. I do however respect the organization immensely. Since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina ravaged Saint Bernard Parish, Saint Bernard Project has rebuilt 291 homes, and 33 in 2010 alone. It’s amazing how much they’ve accomplished in such a little time. There is still a lot to do, lots are still empty; homes still stand damaged and tattered from the high water levels that swept through and washed away the lives and livelihoods of the Parish residents. Interest in New Orleans has waned as other disasters have taken precedence. The New Horizon rig has just been capped after almost 3 months of spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Once again affecting a community that has not finished recovering from its last disaster.

I cannot sit here and write about how much I love New Orleans, as that is simply not true. I didn’t fall in love with this city, but its people did find a place in my heart. Never have I met friendlier people. Within an hour of arriving in the city my team and I were greeted with free food and smiles and hellos from everyone who passed us by. We were endlessly thanked for our efforts before we even had a chance to start working. My friends and I were offered rides home when we walked the streets late at night. I was given bug spray from a complete stranger and he even helped me and my friend Val chop down a jungle that had grown around what was once someone’s home. The people of New Orleans have a lot of pride for their city, its culture and history.

It has become important to me that New Orleans and its people are not forgotten. Rebuilding efforts should continue, even after AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps pulls three of its five regions from the gulf. Even after BP bought out the cities most important volunteer housing camp to host paid employees, leaving volunteer groups stranded at the last minute searching for a place to stay. I hope that this city and its people are never forgotten.

Disaster Relief Reflection

Music City will forever hold a place in my heart. This experience made my year; this will be what I bring up when talk about AmeriCorps NCCC. I will tell people about crawling underneath crawl spaces removing ductwork still wet from a flood that happened two months prior. I will talk of families endlessly thanking my teammates and I for our efforts. I will smile brightly as I recall being covered head to toe in what I like to think of as mud, although knowing it may have been more than that. I will tear slightly as I remember the homeowners telling me their stories of how they lost nearly everything to the rain. I will remember their resilience, their hospitality and their appreciation for our work. This was what I signed up for. This experience reminded me of why I wanted to be in AmeriCorps NCCC; I wanted to help people and I wanted to make a difference. I am proud to say that I was able to accomplish that.