University of Delaware student reflects on her recent visit to New Orleans
Ellen Michael, a student at UD, recently visited New Orleans during an Alternative Break trip through her college Hillel program. Current AVODAH Corps Member Meredith Grabek graduated from UD last year, and had a hand in perpetuating the UD Hillel Alternative Winter Break trip to help rebuild New Orleans. Read about Meredith’s experiences during her Alternative Break trip here. Students volunteered through Rebuilding Together New Orleans, the organization at which Meredith currently works as an Intake Assistant.
Volunteers work on restoring a home with Rebuilding Together. Visit the RTNO Flickr site to see more: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtno/
Here is what Ellen had to say about her experience in New Orleans last month, published in the UD Review:
A life-changing experience in New Orleans
One student’s first hand account of the damage left behind by Hurricane Katrina
Ellen Michael
Issue date: 2/17/09 Section: EditorialJan. 4, 2009 marked the beginning of an incredible adventure of self-actualization, social justice and solidarity for a group of 38 college students. While our individual identities were not the same - we came from different schools - the unique passion each student brought to the table as we joined together only strengthened our ultimate goal - to help rebuild homes after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. For some, the actual tragedies from Hurricane Katrina may seem to be left in the past. On the contrary, three years have gone by and significant work still needs to be done in order to have any possibility of restoring the city of New Orleans, rich with culture and drenched in the love of its’ inhabitants.This is the fourth Alternative Break trip to New Orleans that the Kristol Center for Jewish Life, Hillel Foundation at the university, has sponsored since Hurricane Katrina. Supported by the Jewish Funds for Justice, a seven-day program was established in which students would work with Rebuilding Together New Orleans, an organization that restores homes in the New Orleans community. Unlike other organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together does not require its homeowners to pay back the organization for any work that has been completed and volunteers work with the elderly and disabled. In addition, many of the volunteers were placed to work at the Rebuilding Together Warehouse - where volunteers restore parts from homes such as doors and windows in order to salvage them for future homeowners. As we worked to restore the New Orleans community - without even realizing it - my fellow classmates and I were creating a community of our own.
Before arriving in New Orleans, I was unaware of how devastated the city actually was. To be honest, my inherent knowledge of the city was slim to none. However, during that short ride from the airport to the hostel in which we were staying, a sense of heartbreak exploded deep within me. Words such as abandonment, fear and devastation can only begin to describe the loss. More than three years later, there are still empty lots where homes once stood.
Entries (RSS)