Working with St. Bernard Project

March 16^th

Thought of the Day:

We wear our tzitzit as a reminder of the mitzvot. So the paint on our arms should act as a reminder of the work that needs to be done in New Orleans.

On Monday the group began its work with St. Bernard’s Project. The Project has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception three and half years ago. What began as a 3 person organization has grown into a nationally recognized organization. Today the group was split into 3 work groups. At the rebuilding sites, two of the groups were working on drywall and mudding, and the third group worked on laying flooring.

We also were excited to hear that Anderson Cooper is doing a live taping on Tuesday at one of the St. Bernard Project houses. The group will be attending the taping, so you should listen for our cheers or look for our faces!

Today our group switched from volunteering with Lowernine to working with the Saint Bernard Project. The organization’s founder, Liz McCatney, was named CNN’s hero of the year for her relief efforts, and we had the honor of hearing from her personally. Liz’s orientation was both informative and emotionally poignant. We heard the story of the building we were in and were reminded how the government neglected the city and that we were the ones who needed to rebuild it. The association was very organized in aiding a variety of victims and strategically picking houses that will build up each neighborhood. When we began working, my group did “mudding,” which is filling in the wall’s creases with clay and covering them with paper. The work was concrete and satisfying. The house was farther along than the ones we previously worked with, so it was nice to remember that the houses will eventually be finished and restored to their owners. For the next three days we will be working on the same houses so we will truly be able to see progress, which makes us excited to begin work again tomorrow.

-Abigail