Keene State College sophomore says the south still needs help
Laura Heavey
Contributing Writer
Although it has been a long seven years, thousands of people are still affected by Hurricane Katrina. Seeing hundreds of homes still boarded up and hearing how people are still displaced from their homes is tragic.
On hearing that I would be attending my second New Orleans Alternative Spring Break trip, many people questioned why I chose the same place. Obviously it is great to experience other trips; however, the impact that my first trip to New Orleans had on me swayed me to experience it all over again. Although we followed the same guidelines, this trip was a completely different experience altogether. Not only did this group of volunteers assist in the rebuilding of Hurricane Katrina, but they also worked closely with Hurricane Isaac as well. In New Orleans, the Alternative Spring Break group worked with the organization called United Saints, a non-profit organization that was developed by Daryl Kiesow after he volunteered and truly saw the devastation Hurricane Katrina brought to New Orleans. Hannah-Mollie West, a sophomore at Keene State College, commented on the organization, “I could not have imagined working with another organization. From the moment that we got to the United Saints I felt welcomed. This is a group of people that is doing truly amazing work.”
Chelsea Puza / Social Media Director
Keene State College sophomore Laura Heavey, center, spends her spring break in New Orleans on a service trip. This is the second trip Heavey has made to New Orleands to clean up after Hurricane Katrina.
With the United Saints, we traveled to La Place, La. to work with Eight Days of Hope. This organization worked to rebuild the community after Hurricane Isaac. Although there was some controversy on our culture beliefs, the Alternative Spring Break group was able to work alongside hard-working people to completely gut out a home and rebuild the roof, floors, and walls.
Working alongside people in the United Saints who have the same passion and focus as our group made the long work days easier and worth it. Don, an elderly man who, at first, was quiet and focused, ended up showing his true colors on our night out. He gave our group the guidance and patience we needed throughout the trip. A long-term volunteer, Twiggy, who understood our struggles of working with different types of people provided us with a level-head and subtle humor to make our days function a little better. Last, but definitely not least, were the two long-term volunteers that we become quite close with over the week. Matt and Dave were very welcoming and, although they found us to be quite insane, were accepting of our large group of girls. Last year, the Alternative Spring Break group worked mainly on two projects all week. Half of the group primed and painted a home that was severely affected by the Hurricane. The owner faced losing her home because she could not keep up with government payments and reconstruction. The other half worked at a pre-school painting murals for the upcoming school year. Although having a steady work-week was nice, this year’s craziness of working on six different projects was definitely exciting.
Throughout the week the group worked with numerous homeowners, gardeners, and other organizations every day. One that stood out for me personally was working with a local farmer, Macon Fry, “The Gardner Guy.” Upon quitting his job as a teacher, Fry decided to focus his life on something he loved to do: farming. He recently found out that the soil he was working with was destroyed by the previous nursery that occupied his land. Through massive amounts of insecticide and pesticides, the soil’s phosphorus level was destroying his crops. Five of us worked with Fry digging deep in the soil to get rid of the poisonous dirt and replace it with the healthy dirt deep in the ground. Although it was the most strenuous work my arms have ever endured, it was a truly humbling work-day because I saw how much our work meant to him.
Everyone told Fry what he was doing was impossible and was not worth the work; however, he finished his whole farm in less than two weeks because of volunteers. It is that passion in the community that keeps volunteers focused and excited to work.
A favorite project of other volunteers was Miss Jessie’s house. Miss Jessie’s home was primed and re-painted because of the damage done by Hurricane Katrina. Endless chatter and enthusiasm of Miss Jessie convinced the group to keep working throughout our last day on Friday, even though we had a 15 hour car ride ahead of us. West spoke highly of Miss Jessie , saying,“she was so grateful to have us all working at her house that she would sit outside with us while we were working all day, and she also made us lunch one day.”
Having worked as a painter last summer, West took over command and used us as her “minions” to complete much of the house. It is safe to say that every member on our trip was moved and touched by the week. Whether it is by shedding tears through speeches, finally getting out of our shells, or sharing stories with homeowners, everyone on the trip was deeply affected by New Orleans. Brittany Bianchi, a senior at KSC, shared that “the thing I got most out of the trip was to appreciate the little things in life. Most of these people were, and still are, displaced from their homes. They cannot get back items and homes they lost but they can appreciate new things that come their way.” Hearing inspiring stories from complete strangers created a deep connection throughout the whole group.
Bianchi even spontaneously had a chance to use her major as a graphic designer to help out United Saints volunteer Dave on his girlfriend’s homework. It was great to see KSC students use what they have learned in class to help out on both a small and large scale.
With a bright outlook on life, the 16 girls are coming back to Keene holding a life-changing experience on their backs. Although the NOLA ASB group worked with numerous types of people and organizations, we were able to realize the main focus of our trip was to help. And we did just that.