Mallory Howard

Wow, what a week it’s been here in New Orleans! From long days of manual service work at the Lower 9^th Ward Village, to whirlwind trips to Bourbon Street, and Mr. Johnston’s Horse Farm, our group has truly had a taste of New Orleans, Louisiana culture.  I am so happy to have had this opportunity to lead this Habitat for Humanity trip.  I came down to New Orleans last year to volunteer, so I was excited to be able to come back.  Although I was the leader of the group, I did not have to step up much. Leadership is a quality that many of these students posses and demonstrated during our trip. Each day, everyone on this trip truly showed motivation, hard work, positive energy, and a lot of heart. Together we have created memories that we will never forget and friendships that will last a lifetime.

When we first walked into the Lower 9^th Ward Village, I felt overwhelmed with my surroundings. I knew there was much to get done, but the group I walked in the doors with was intelligent and creative and I knew that ideas would come together. While I was thinking of how I was stressed and overwhelmed, I tried to put myself in the position of Mack and the community around the Lower 9^th Ward. “I am too blessed to be stressed” is something Mack expressed early into our stay. Mack was and is a great inspiration. His high level of energy and positivity helped us all put all our effort into helping the community down here.

After seeing Mack smile and call us his heroes throughout the trip, I knew all of our hard work paid off. Although there was not much structure for our workdays, everyone came together to plan and make ideas happen. I am very impressed with all the work that was completed in a short amount of time. There is still much work that needs to be done at the Lower 9^th Ward Village, but we are leaving it today more organized, serviceable and colorful. Lives were truly changed throughout the trip, and I hope all the participants remember this once in a lifetime experience as fondly as I will in the years to come.  


For more information about the Lower Ninth Ward Village please visit their website here and if you would like to make a donation, you can do that here.