This is my second year coming to Louisiana on a Habitat for Humanity trip. Last year we stayed in Slidell and did work helping to build a home for a family. This year has been different but still rewarding in the same way. We have been working around the lower ninth ward village helping to improve on what many other volunteer groups have already done.
There was a lot of work to do when we first got here and when we leave I’m sure that there will be plenty left. The ultimate goal for the space seems to be a community center for children to spend their time, but I don’t see this area as a safe place for children to play. As of right now there is a lot of excess stuff lying around the yard and some of it isn’t stuff that something that kids should be around. But we have been working hard to make it a more child friendly environment and I think that we have made a lot of progress.
One of the big accomplishments that I have contributed to was building a basketball court in the main area inside. I think that basketball is a great way for kids to spend their time and having a space for them to play is important. We cleared out a large space and moved a hoop inside, and even put a new net on it. We had a big game last night between a bunch of the volunteers and it was a good time. But one problem that still lingers is the amount of stuff surrounding the area. I think that once the majority of the things in the village are thrown away then it would be a more kid friendly environment.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Laura Kowalczyk
This year for our annual build trip, we went down to the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana to stay and work at the community center Mack established there. Since hurricane Katrina, he has converted an old warehouse into what will one day be a functioning community center that the local children can come to. The Lower Ninth Ward used to have seven schools, but since Katrina, only one has been reestablished. With no parks or other centers in this area, the city is doing very little to help the children. Mack has made it his mission to give the local children a safe place to go.
To help Mack make this dream a reality, we have been working the past week to make the center safe and kid friendly. We cleared out and sorted unused furniture, put up and painted walls in what will be a game room, and reorganized and expanded the library. Yesterday we took some of the old chairs, sanded them, and then painted them to make them colorful for the game room.
Today we are painting a huge mural, 20x15 feet, of the United States of America. When different groups come to volunteer at the community center, they will be able to put a dot on the map for where they are from. This mural will be a great visual to show just how many groups from all over the country come to volunteer here. We thought that the mural would be a fun project, but has proven to be more challenging than we expected. The projector we got to project a map of the United States on the wall didn’t work, forcing us to free hand the map. While making a grid to help us draw it on the wall, we ran out of tape. These little setbacks have not stopped us from continuing the map. Hopefully by the end of the day we will have a completed mural of the United States!
There is so much that can be learned from the people down here. Through their experiences, they have learned so much and are just waiting to pass on their wisdom. From talks with Mack, other groups staying at the village, even our waiter when we went into the city, I have learned so much. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to come down here.
To help Mack make this dream a reality, we have been working the past week to make the center safe and kid friendly. We cleared out and sorted unused furniture, put up and painted walls in what will be a game room, and reorganized and expanded the library. Yesterday we took some of the old chairs, sanded them, and then painted them to make them colorful for the game room.
Today we are painting a huge mural, 20x15 feet, of the United States of America. When different groups come to volunteer at the community center, they will be able to put a dot on the map for where they are from. This mural will be a great visual to show just how many groups from all over the country come to volunteer here. We thought that the mural would be a fun project, but has proven to be more challenging than we expected. The projector we got to project a map of the United States on the wall didn’t work, forcing us to free hand the map. While making a grid to help us draw it on the wall, we ran out of tape. These little setbacks have not stopped us from continuing the map. Hopefully by the end of the day we will have a completed mural of the United States!
There is so much that can be learned from the people down here. Through their experiences, they have learned so much and are just waiting to pass on their wisdom. From talks with Mack, other groups staying at the village, even our waiter when we went into the city, I have learned so much. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to come down here.
Liz Dufresne
This being my first time on an actual build trip, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I’d heard great things about what Mack had been doing down here with the Lower Ninth Ward Village and after speaking with him at the Building Dreams in New Orleans benefit dinner in October 2011, I knew he would appreciate any help we could offer him down here.
Along with the Lower Ninth Ward Village, Mack is currently working to get a ranch, located two hours outside of the Lower Ninth Ward, childproofed and ready to take on weekend visitors. They plan to take groups of at-risk kids out to this ranch, and get them introduced to new responsibilities – cleaning, feeding, and working with the horses and working on a farm.
We spent a day on this ranch laying some groundwork to get the program under way. Many of us got to spend some one-on-one time with the horses that are currently housed there, me included. The horse I spent time with was one that holds a special place in Mack’s heart – a horse that hadn’t been ridden in over a year due to the devastating blow that Hurricane Katrina dealt to New Orleans and various other complications.
My new friend, yet to be named by Mack, was a very skittish creature, and initially was very unhappy to even be walked out of his stall with me. But as one of the volunteers at the ranch said to me – all he needed was some love, someone to talk to him, and someone to treat him right. Just by being calm around him, talking quietly to him, and being stern, yet respectful, the horse began to cooperate with me. We walked around the yard together, he ate lunch with me, and though it made him a little uncomfortable, he trusted me enough to let me brush his side and back – where he couldn’t quite see what I was doing.
Even though I only spent a few hours with this horse, I formed a bond in that short time that I won’t soon forget. The time spent with him proves to me that the opportunity to work with these animals is not one we can afford to keep from the children of New Orleans, and the Lower Ninth much longer.
After our visit to the ranch, we had a reflection with Mack and UC Berkeley, another group that worked with us this week, and the idea of a “Wish List” of all the tasks and projects that needed to be done was made thrown around; with constantly rotating groups of volunteers we thought that this would be the best way to keep track of things done, and things-to-be-done. Later that night we hashed out a wish list of our own – tasks that we wanted to see completed, or at least nearly completed by the time we left.
On our last three days here we have been working, and will continue to work to complete these projects – a large map of the U.S. to show where volunteers have come from, reorganizing the library, repainting what is to become the game room, and completing a shed for all the gardening tools needed for upkeep. With another half day of work to go all of these projects are nearing completion, leaving mostly clean up for tomorrow, and it really is a great feeling for all of us – we can really see the impact we have made on this space, and by talking to the community members, we know they truly appreciate what we have done here.
One of the biggest things I’ve noticed while I’ve been here, is that Mack is a thinker and not necessarily a planner. He has the most amazing and grand dreams of community involvement and improvement, from a football field and a small arcade for the kids to afterschool homework help for kids and GED programs for teens and adults but without the initial tasks of cleaning up the yard and community center, and having a sustainable source of funding for the Village, none of this can happen, and “Wish Lists” can help the program get there.
Over the last few days I’ve heard Mack talk over and over again about how the cavalry hasn’t come, and its not going to come, and I don’t want to contradict a man this amazing and self sacrificing – but he’s wrong. Groups like ours have come down here over the last six years, and continue to come and help him make the community’s dreams into reality. We eat with him, work alongside him, and try to get a feel for the needs of his community, though only for a week or two each year.
We are the cavalry.
Janelle Boucher
My name is Janelle Boucher and this is my first year as a member of Habitat for humanity. I was told we would be spending our annual trip in the Lower Ninth Ward located in New Orleans. One of the most devastated parts of Louisiana from Hurricane Katrina.
When we arrived and went on a tour of the area with our host, Mack, I was shocked at the status of the lower ninth despite it being almost seven years since the hurricane. I didn’t know what to expect when I first came down but what Mack showed us was beyond anything I could have envisioned.
Mack made a point to show us the status of the schools in the area; there’s a total of one. The school isn’t miniscule but it is probably smaller than my high school which held 2000 students from 9th to 12th grade. This one school is expected to hold and educate students from K—12 . This is ridiculous. If this isn’t bad enough, the seniors at this school are educated in small white trailers. It gets worse. The graduation rate in Louisiana is about 63 percent. From that number only about 60 percent have an adult literacy level.
Mack then told us about his daughter who used to live in New Orleans but evacuated and later had children in another area. He once asked her to return one day so he could see his grandchildren. She said she wouldn’t, her kids had a chance where they were; they were on the honor role.
He must have been crushed when she told him this but he understood. How could he ask her to come back when New Orleans has the highest crime rate and a murder rate that has doubled since Katrina. He believes these statistics are because the youth in New Orleans are under educated. I agree with him considering the average 16-year-old sent to a juvenile facility in Louisiana has a 5th grade reading level.
When we arrived and went on a tour of the area with our host, Mack, I was shocked at the status of the lower ninth despite it being almost seven years since the hurricane. I didn’t know what to expect when I first came down but what Mack showed us was beyond anything I could have envisioned.
Mack made a point to show us the status of the schools in the area; there’s a total of one. The school isn’t miniscule but it is probably smaller than my high school which held 2000 students from 9th to 12th grade. This one school is expected to hold and educate students from K—12 . This is ridiculous. If this isn’t bad enough, the seniors at this school are educated in small white trailers. It gets worse. The graduation rate in Louisiana is about 63 percent. From that number only about 60 percent have an adult literacy level.
Mack then told us about his daughter who used to live in New Orleans but evacuated and later had children in another area. He once asked her to return one day so he could see his grandchildren. She said she wouldn’t, her kids had a chance where they were; they were on the honor role.
He must have been crushed when she told him this but he understood. How could he ask her to come back when New Orleans has the highest crime rate and a murder rate that has doubled since Katrina. He believes these statistics are because the youth in New Orleans are under educated. I agree with him considering the average 16-year-old sent to a juvenile facility in Louisiana has a 5th grade reading level.
Kevin Woods
This is my second time coming to Louisiana. Last year I went with the Habitat group that went to Slidell, where we helped build houses for people in the community. It was a great experience – helping others that were always so friendly and eating all the local food, which was amazing, so I decided to come back this year.
We stayed in The Village this time, which is a community center in the Lower Ninth Ward that is still being put together to one day become a place where children can come to play. We spent days working there, making it safe, cleaning up, and putting up a roof. We also spent a day at a ranch that, like The Village, was in the progress of establishing a fun and safe environment for children in the area. While there, we got to ride horses and drive tractors and have fun – we played hard but we worked harder. Children would come and go during the day to ride the horses in the rodeo and hang out around the ranch. It was great to see this alternative offered to them.
The Lower Ninth Ward has one of the highest crime rates in the country and creating these new centers will hopefully open a new environment in the community that will take kids off the street and out of the penitentiary system.
We stayed in The Village this time, which is a community center in the Lower Ninth Ward that is still being put together to one day become a place where children can come to play. We spent days working there, making it safe, cleaning up, and putting up a roof. We also spent a day at a ranch that, like The Village, was in the progress of establishing a fun and safe environment for children in the area. While there, we got to ride horses and drive tractors and have fun – we played hard but we worked harder. Children would come and go during the day to ride the horses in the rodeo and hang out around the ranch. It was great to see this alternative offered to them.
The Lower Ninth Ward has one of the highest crime rates in the country and creating these new centers will hopefully open a new environment in the community that will take kids off the street and out of the penitentiary system.
Rachel Mollard
It’s day 6 here in New Orleans, or what I now like to call NOLA. Although it’s been a lot of work so far, time has flown by. Looking back on everything that’s happened on this trip, it’s hard to believe what we’ve accomplished here.
To be honest the trip has been much different than I had originally anticipated, but it’s been so worthwhile. I came here thinking we would be going around the Lower 9th Ward, helping people in the community fix up their homes for damages rendered, if you can believe it, six years ago. Instead, we have been working tirelessly to fix up the Village, a community center in the Lower 9th Ward intended to be a place for the community to gather and children to have a safe place to play and learn. Early in the trip, we took a tour of the Lower 9th, as Mack, essentially the father of the Village, told us about his community. He told us about hurricane Katrina and what happened to his home. The water rose about 8- 32 feet that day on land, and most people were forced into their attics, either breaking a hole in their roofs and waited on there to be rescued or died drowning in their own attics before help could come. He explained what the “Xs” on the home meant, the date of the investigation, the name of the organization who examined the home, and the number of people and animals found deceased in the home. It was shocking to think there were still homes with these “Xs” on them, and still so many empty lots were home once stood. It was then that the impact of the hurricane truly sunk in.
While fixing up the community center was not what I had in mind in when I came to New Orleans, I couldn’t have imagined doing anything else. The impact the Village will have on the community when it’s finished is greater than any of us will ever know. The ultimate goal is to fix the place up enough and make it safe enough to earn liability insurance so children can play and learn here safely. This week has been a combination of cleaning, sorting, painting and building in the Village.
One of the projects I have been really involved in over the past days is a map painting of the United States. The idea behind the map is the number of volunteers that come through the community center to stay and work in the Lower 9th Ward from all over the country. The plan is that once the map has been painted on the wall, each group that comes to the Village will be able to mark where they came from, showing how we can all come from different places in the country, but regardless we can still come together for a united cause. First we traced a map we found in the library and drew over the map with a grid. Being the engineers and artists we are, we devised a way to blow up the grid on the wall so we could map out, well, our map! As I’m writing this blog the map is still in progress. But in one day we have drawn and painted most of a 15ft by 10ft map and a large blank white wall. We scaled the huge wall taping out our grid, carefully calculating out every move, as engineers do. We then carefully drew out the map in pencil while other people in the group followed after filling the states in with brightly colored paint. Even if we don’t finish today, like the village itself, it is a work in progress to be finished by other volunteers in the future.
Overall, this trip has been eye opening, saddening, challenging, and tiring, but most importantly one of the best times of my life. I have not only learned so much about New Orleans, it’s culture and the impact of hurricane Katrina, but I’ve learned a lot about myself. I may be one person, but I can make an impact. I’ve gone outside my comfort zone, pushed myself physically and I’ve come out on the other side a better person for it
To be honest the trip has been much different than I had originally anticipated, but it’s been so worthwhile. I came here thinking we would be going around the Lower 9th Ward, helping people in the community fix up their homes for damages rendered, if you can believe it, six years ago. Instead, we have been working tirelessly to fix up the Village, a community center in the Lower 9th Ward intended to be a place for the community to gather and children to have a safe place to play and learn. Early in the trip, we took a tour of the Lower 9th, as Mack, essentially the father of the Village, told us about his community. He told us about hurricane Katrina and what happened to his home. The water rose about 8- 32 feet that day on land, and most people were forced into their attics, either breaking a hole in their roofs and waited on there to be rescued or died drowning in their own attics before help could come. He explained what the “Xs” on the home meant, the date of the investigation, the name of the organization who examined the home, and the number of people and animals found deceased in the home. It was shocking to think there were still homes with these “Xs” on them, and still so many empty lots were home once stood. It was then that the impact of the hurricane truly sunk in.
While fixing up the community center was not what I had in mind in when I came to New Orleans, I couldn’t have imagined doing anything else. The impact the Village will have on the community when it’s finished is greater than any of us will ever know. The ultimate goal is to fix the place up enough and make it safe enough to earn liability insurance so children can play and learn here safely. This week has been a combination of cleaning, sorting, painting and building in the Village.
One of the projects I have been really involved in over the past days is a map painting of the United States. The idea behind the map is the number of volunteers that come through the community center to stay and work in the Lower 9th Ward from all over the country. The plan is that once the map has been painted on the wall, each group that comes to the Village will be able to mark where they came from, showing how we can all come from different places in the country, but regardless we can still come together for a united cause. First we traced a map we found in the library and drew over the map with a grid. Being the engineers and artists we are, we devised a way to blow up the grid on the wall so we could map out, well, our map! As I’m writing this blog the map is still in progress. But in one day we have drawn and painted most of a 15ft by 10ft map and a large blank white wall. We scaled the huge wall taping out our grid, carefully calculating out every move, as engineers do. We then carefully drew out the map in pencil while other people in the group followed after filling the states in with brightly colored paint. Even if we don’t finish today, like the village itself, it is a work in progress to be finished by other volunteers in the future.
Overall, this trip has been eye opening, saddening, challenging, and tiring, but most importantly one of the best times of my life. I have not only learned so much about New Orleans, it’s culture and the impact of hurricane Katrina, but I’ve learned a lot about myself. I may be one person, but I can make an impact. I’ve gone outside my comfort zone, pushed myself physically and I’ve come out on the other side a better person for it
Chiana Montesi
This trip has been very eye opening to me. I have always had more than enough provided for me my entire life, and when I realized how much I took it for granted. The lower ninth ward has so much to offer to its community, but without the funds or support it seems as if the community has no positive influences. Walking around the village and lower ninth I saw how happy the people were even though they were still rebuilding from practically nothing.
The part of the trip that really moved me was seeing the holes in the houses. For those who don’t know when the hurricane hit people inside their homes had 12 minutes to go up to their attics and cut a hole in the roof. Those who couldn’t successfully cut the holes most likely died. It’s a breathtaking site to see, and really shows how you should never take time for granted. After I took in the scenery, I wondered why the buildings were even still up. Why after 6 years do these people need to see the remains of what tore their city and lives to pieces. But then I realized that it was a reminder to volunteers like myself, that these people still need help. They have come so far, but still need help. Even though these people are incredibly strong and amazing they cannot do it alone.
Another site that was eye opening to me was the x’s. The x’s show four things; the date that people came and checked the house, the group that came in, the number of animals that died, and the number of people that died. Luckily no one died in this house, but the place was still a mess.
Coming back to the community center I had a new motivation. I wanted to make it more suitable for kids and the community. Along with others I decided that we should paint a mural on the wall of a map of the united states. We decided that on top of the mural we were going to have the logo Building Dreams for New Orleans. Underneath there would be a map painted with all different colors. As schools like ours came down to help renovate the community center, you mark your state and draw a line and label it with your state. Having this can be inspiration to other schools so that they could leave their mark on the community center. I also believe that this will also further inspire other children who come to the community center to get involved with community service and groups like Habitat. By inspiring this community and building this center, I hope that it will inspire them to stay involve and stay off the streets.
When we were viewing these scenes, Mack brought up pa very interesting point. He said that 6 years after the fact there are still volunteers that are coming to help. He said it’s not by the media, because in that case we would have heard about the progress when the Saints won the superbowl just 2 years ago. Instead were spreading the word about the community by mouth. So by coming here and by having this blog hopefully we can continue to spread the word and continue to build dreams down here in New Orleans.
Oh yeah! I also adopted two awesome puppies down here! One girl named Blues, and one boy named Bourbon! They’ll be making the trip back to CT with us when we leave!
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.
The part of the trip that really moved me was seeing the holes in the houses. For those who don’t know when the hurricane hit people inside their homes had 12 minutes to go up to their attics and cut a hole in the roof. Those who couldn’t successfully cut the holes most likely died. It’s a breathtaking site to see, and really shows how you should never take time for granted. After I took in the scenery, I wondered why the buildings were even still up. Why after 6 years do these people need to see the remains of what tore their city and lives to pieces. But then I realized that it was a reminder to volunteers like myself, that these people still need help. They have come so far, but still need help. Even though these people are incredibly strong and amazing they cannot do it alone.
Another site that was eye opening to me was the x’s. The x’s show four things; the date that people came and checked the house, the group that came in, the number of animals that died, and the number of people that died. Luckily no one died in this house, but the place was still a mess.
Coming back to the community center I had a new motivation. I wanted to make it more suitable for kids and the community. Along with others I decided that we should paint a mural on the wall of a map of the united states. We decided that on top of the mural we were going to have the logo Building Dreams for New Orleans. Underneath there would be a map painted with all different colors. As schools like ours came down to help renovate the community center, you mark your state and draw a line and label it with your state. Having this can be inspiration to other schools so that they could leave their mark on the community center. I also believe that this will also further inspire other children who come to the community center to get involved with community service and groups like Habitat. By inspiring this community and building this center, I hope that it will inspire them to stay involve and stay off the streets.
When we were viewing these scenes, Mack brought up pa very interesting point. He said that 6 years after the fact there are still volunteers that are coming to help. He said it’s not by the media, because in that case we would have heard about the progress when the Saints won the superbowl just 2 years ago. Instead were spreading the word about the community by mouth. So by coming here and by having this blog hopefully we can continue to spread the word and continue to build dreams down here in New Orleans.
Oh yeah! I also adopted two awesome puppies down here! One girl named Blues, and one boy named Bourbon! They’ll be making the trip back to CT with us when we leave!
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.
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