Rebuild New Orleans with PNOLA!

Help Lola And April Turner Get Back Home

2012-08-03T11:49:00.001-05:00

Don't Let 7 Years Go By Before Lola and April Turner Finish Rebuilding

April and Lola Turner, are sisters from a big family of 7 all born and raised in New Orleans. As the seventh year since Hurricane Katrina’s devastating effects approaches, the Turner sisters are STILL trying to rebuild their home that their mother bought when April was a teenager. Unfortunately Mrs. Turner died in 2009 never seeing her home fully recovered from the 50,000 dollars worth of damage it incurred from Hurricane Katrina.

After getting help from various church groups to gut the house, sadly April and Lola Tuner’s Road Home funds were defrauded by a contractor who promised to do the work necessary to make their home safe and livable. PNOLA began working with the Turners in 2011, and in partnership with The United Way of Southeast Louisiana’s ‘No Place Like Home’ program, the help of hundreds of volunteers, PNOLA Build has significantly lowered and subsidized the rebuild cost, and the house is nearly finished. There’s light a light at the end of the tunnel, but we need your help! We are down to the very last details that need to be done and we need help to finish:

Items left to be finished:
Completion of Plumbing Repairs		$2,900
Completion of Electrical Repairs		$1,100
Kitchen Cabinets installation		$1,550
Plaster Repairs		$320
Tile Installs		$560
Finish Baseboard and Trim		$360

If you wish to support Lola and April Turner please mail a check to:

PNOLA Build
Attn: Sarah Baldwin
2307 Bienville St
New Orleans LA 70119

**and in the memo of the check write LOLA & APRIL TURNER

A lesson in patience

2012-07-16T22:49:00.002-05:00

We are almost ready to start flooring at Laura Tusa’s…almost, except for that pesky layer of linoleum glue covering the approximately 500 square foot space we’re planning to tile. The glue is a water-based adhesive, meaning the thin-set cement we lay the tiles in won’t adhere to it correctly which, in turn, means the glue has to go. I thought this seemed simple enough, until we actually started scraping it. Turns out this stuff is incredibly stubborn and is incredibly difficult to get off. I spent almost an entire day scraping with only this (plus some nasty blisters) to show for it:

(about 15 square feet)

So, I asked my project manager to look into something – ANYTHING – we could do to make it easier. A couple hours later she called me back without much good news. She read me her favorite bit of advice from the internet:

“No matter what you do this is a nasty job. Chemicals will not help much and usually make things more gummy and difficult. If you have been using a razor scraper so far it doesn’t get much better. Using a heat gun or even a hair dryer will soften the glue and make removing the chunks of old lino[leum] easier…I usually end up with blisters on my blisters after a job like this, sorry.”

Not exactly encouraging, right? The glue still had to go, though, so Tuesday morning I taped up my poor blistered hands and went to work with the heat gun. It helped…sort of. You can peel up decent-sized pieces with the help of the heat gun, but it still requires a good amount of force. At the end of day two my blisters had become blister, and I’d only barely finished the kitchen (with the laundry room, huge den, and hallway still to go).

Tuesday through Friday I enlisted (or maybe conscripted is a better word?) volunteers in the scraping effort, and they didn’t have any more luck than I did. On Wednesday they rented a huge scraping machine from Home Depot, and although it worked okay initially the blade got dull much sooner than we would have liked. We also tried a hammer and chisel, a hammer and scrapers (we managed to break the handles of a couple of scrapers that way, as you might imagine), and finally, a desperate raid of the PNOLA tool cache led to experiments with an electric paint scraper and an air hammer. After all of that, the internet guy turned out to be right: the razor scraper and heat gun combo still work the best. We’re about halfway through, with obviously many more hours of scraping to go. I can only hope the volunteers this week are as patient (and stubborn?) as last week’s were…

--Welcome Home Mary Rush--

2012-06-25T08:04:00.003-05:00

Great news: Mary Rush is HOME!!

I’m Heidi Miles, project manager over here at PNOLA BUILD. This week was another one of those weeks that remind us all over here why we do what we do. Monday we got to finally welcome home Mary Rush and Marvin Nelson, two of our homeowners whose homes were sponsored by various New Orleans Saints players. These two deserving clients have now been waiting almost 7 and we were so proud to welcome them home! I was the project manager for the Rush family and below is the speech that I gave at her welcome home ceremony. Hope you too can feel the joy and happiness that this moment brought us by reading about her journey.

“Welcome! My name is Heidi Miles and I am a project manager at the Phoenix of New Orleans. I had the great privilege of being a part of this incredible journey, one that started even before I had ever visited this city. Almost seven years ago, a storm called Katrina came and destroyed lives, communities, and 100s of homes, one of which we are now standing in front of. Something that Katrina did not destroy though was the spirit of the people. From the day I met Mrs. Mary Rush I saw the epitome of that New Orleans spirit that drew me to this city. A woman who has seen and been through so much with losing her home, but still has a spirit that makes me smile the moment I see her.

I will never forget how happy she was after we only built the exterior walls. Though this house was barely a shell of a home, she was overjoyed-like I said Mrs. Mary Rush embodies the indomitable spirit and resilience that courses through this city.

During the time that PNOLA was building this house, Mrs. Mary’s journey took another turn. About halfway through the process Mary went into the hospital for several weeks, when she finally was released she came out paralyzed from the waist down. With a new life to adjust to Mary had to move to Mississippi with her daughter, Sabrina, who serves proudly in our United States Army. Despite the new challenges she faced, Mrs. Mary was no less determined to get home!

Finally, about two weeks ago, the day arrived! Waiting at her house with PNOLA staff and volunteers, we were so excited to show Mrs. Mary her new home! While sitting in front waiting to help Sabrina and Mary unload I get the simplest yet most unforgettable text message of my life, "We Home" Sabrina texted. Finally, seven years later, they were home! Finally this house that United Way, the Saints, and PNOLA staff and of course VOLUNTEERS from all over the country put countless hours in was going to be a home!! And indeed it was, the moment Mrs. Mary and Sabrina walked into the house, something changed, it went from our construction site on 1134 S. Gayoso to the RUSH Home! So, today, I want to officially say to ya'll, Sabrina, Chris, Kayla, Micah and Mary, WELCOME HOME!!!!

Before I pass the mike on, I just want to briefly remind everyone that as much as today is a celebration, it is also a reminder that though the journey for Mary to get back home is over there are still many families out there like the Rush family that are waiting to come home, families that call our office weekly who need anywhere from 500 dollars worth of work to a complete rebuild.

PNOLA strives to help all of these clients and are able to do so with the help and donations of people like you, Jahri Evans, the Saints, United Way, St. Paul’s Homecoming Center, Monte and Beth Ikemire Community Fund and of course our generous volunteers who not only give countless hours but donate their funds and resources. And for that, we thank you! So please, continue to reach out to your communities, families and friends and help more people like the Rushes finally "Come HOME"! Thanks.”

Thank you so much for reading and please consider helping PNOLA BUILD bring home more families through your time and donations. If you can get 20 friends to give 20 dollars that can mean 400 dollars towards bringing someone home!

Below is a picture of Mary and I from that wonderful day!

Mrs. Mary Rush and I

Thank you,

Heidi Miles

2012-06-21T10:52:00.003-05:00

Gillip AKA Gil Limas

I think I was the only one who called Gil, Gillip...
This is a LONG overdue blog as a tribute to the wonderful and fabulous Gil Limas. Gil had to head home to California at the beginning of May and all of us at PNOLA have been missing him ever since.

Gil was one of those special people who always had a smile on his face and always looked on the bright side. He could always make you laugh when you needed it. I feel very privileged to have served a term of AmeriCorps with Gil Limas. He has hopes of becoming a TL in the future for NCCC, and I can't imagine a better person to serve as a TL. What a lucky NCCC team that will be to have you as their leader, Gil!

We miss you and hope that all is

well back in California!

Back to Erin drive

2012-06-21T07:58:00.001-05:00

After a whirlwind of a Monday with two welcome home parties we are back to work as usual out here in the East. I am lucky to have a youth group from Martinsville VA with me this week...and aside from lots of joking and finally being able to take the paper up off the beautiful floors here, they are getting a ton of work done! I think they even are surprising themselves. We really should be finished up here in no time!
Looks great and I would love to see you to finish it out!
B
Thinking of Brice.

PNOLA Yard Sale

2012-06-14T09:56:00.001-05:00

When: June 23rd (Saturday)
What: PNOLA Build, Yard Sale
Time: 8am to 2pm
Location: 2400 Block of Conti Street in Mid City
(between N Rocheblave and N Tonti Streets)

All proceeds go to The Phoenix of New Orleans to help rebuild New Orleans.

Support your community while getting some great deals on tools and building materials. We are doing some late spring cleaning of our storage facility. Please come see what we have to offer! We are looking to simply clear out our stock of building materials. Electrical, plumbing and general building materials/supplies are up for grabs.

Come Early!

**CASH ONLY**

Duuuukes and Bishops

2012-06-08T07:26:00.001-05:00

The past month has filled Erin drive with lots of royal volunteers. JMU sent some of their very best who not only danced all day but were always up for some sanding. They left at the end of the week with the kitchen and bathrooms primed!

Bishop kelley from Idaho (they grow more corn than potatoes...who knew?!) Finished off this week with the house completely painted. It was sweaty but the house looks great!

Cannot wait for next week when we get to take up that annoying brown paper,get a wet mop in there and see what the Robert's house will FINALLY look like finished. Hopefully the place will be done in the next couple weeks.

Come down to help finish out this hurricane katrina-chinese drywall house? Hopefully this is the last time Erin drive will ever have to be rebuilt!!

See you down here.
B

2012-06-05T11:48:00.001-05:00

The LOVE Family

Edinburg Street

(BEFORE picture, stay tuned to see the AFTER picture

and see if you can recognize the same house)

What a great last name, right? Well this family has a lot of love for their home in New Orleans and a passion for this great city. Albert Love has been living in Baton Rouge for years following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He and his brother Hiley want nothing more than to rebuild their home on Edinburgh Street in Holly Grove and start hosting some family parties, celebrating their return to New Orleans.

The Love family has lived in their home on Edinburgh Street for generations. Hiley and Alberts' Grandfather built the home in the early 50's. The concrete steps at the front of the double home were poured by their Great Uncle, who also did the porches on 3 to 4 other homes in the neighborhood. Edinburgh Street had many members of the Love family in different lots up and down the street. Many have left since the storm, but Albert and Hiley are determined to get back.

Something really exciting and wonderful happened last week for this family. They recently found out that they were entitled to more money to rebuild with through the HMGP Program. The Love's met with our Staff from PNOLA along with Jennifer Johnson of CityWide Elevation and two representatives from HMGP (Herb and Doug). We went over specifics of the HMGP program and took measurements of the home to compare against the elevation bid we had received from City Wide Elevation. By the end of the meeting we found that HMGP was awarding the Love family upwards of $70,000 to elevate and prep their home for a complete rebuild!! We were thrilled to find that the elevation work will start as early as this week and the Love's should be back in their home by the Holidays this year.

This is great news for the Love's and we couldn't be happier to work with them and help bring them home. Stay tuned to get updates on the progress of the rebuild.

2012-06-05T11:32:00.001-05:00

Mary Bullard--ALMOST Done

(A group of our dedicated volunteers pose in front of Ms Mary's house)

Ms Mary Bullard (77 yrs old) has lived on Allen Street for many years. She evacuated to Memphis, TN for Hurricane Katrina where she lived in an extended stay hotel. She was not able to return to New Orleans until the spring of 2006. Her house was badly damaged by Katrina and she was unfortunately not able to move back in, nor was she awarded enough money to rebuild. Ms Mary has been living with her daughter since she returned to New Orleans. Although her daughter’s house is comfortable and she’s grateful to be with family, Mary sure knows the meaning of “No place like home”. She has had an uphill battle with her health over the years and recently it has been quite a challenge to keep her chin up and stay positive. She is undergoing regular treatments for bone cancer and tries her best to rest a lot and take care of herself.

The major thing that keeps her going these days is the thought of being back in her own home again. Thanks to the hard work of many of our AmeriCorps Site Supervisor's and various volunteer groups, we are nearing the very last stages of the rebuild process and will be welcoming Ms Mary very soon, back into her home on Allen Street.

2012-06-05T11:00:00.003-05:00

Mary Rush Is FINALLY Coming Home

Today marks the day that Ms Mary Rush is being released from University Hospital of New Orleans, to finally move into her finished home on S Gayoso Street. This has been a long time coming for Mary and her family along with the PNOLA staff and Americorps. A week and a half ago Sabrina (Mary's daughter), brought Mary to the house to begin moving her things in and take a tour of her brand new home. During the tour Ms Mary suffered a heart attack and was whisked away to the hospital by ambulance. We were all so concerned with Mary's health and wanted to see her pull through and make a full recovery. We got the happy news this morning that she is being released and will be visiting the house this afternoon to finish her tour and get all moved in.

This scary situation made us all realize how fragile life is and how grateful we are to be a part of the lives of the Rush Family. We are helping to get Mary over to the house this afternoon when she is released from the hospital. We can't wait to see the look on her face, once she's finally home again.

We will be posting information about her Welcome Home Party in the near future, so stay tuned!

A HUGE thank you goes out to the countless volunteers who worked on Ms Mary's house; to John Thompson her Site Supervisor and to Heidi Miles her Project Manager. This house is the product of a lot of blood, sweat and tears and we thank you for all you put into it!

Sweat season

2012-05-30T19:19:00.001-05:00

Ready or not, summer is coming! I guess we shouldn't be surprised (apparently this happens every year!) but it's getting hotter down here in New Orleans which means all of us are getting sweatier. We've had some of our first really sweaty days of the season this week: "shin sweat" came up in two completely separate conversations yesterday, I've sweated through two shirts today already, we left nice sweaty butt prints on the floor where we sat down for lunch, and I can no longer keep things in my pocket during the work day if I expect them to stay dry. I spent most of my day covered in a grey paste made up of sweat and a thick layer of drywall dust:

eew!

I leaned against a wall at one point and when I got up I discovered my favorite example of sweatiness to date:

When we say we put our blood, sweat and tears into these houses we mean it literally!

Stay hydrated out there!!!

Tony Bono and Family-Help Get Them Home

2012-05-29T23:08:00.003-05:00

The Bono Family-Pasteur Drive

Tony and his wife and two children lived in the home on Pasteur Dr before Katrina. They evacuated to Mississippi originally but ended up going all the way to Houston for about 6 weeks total. Tony came back to New Orleans about 6-7 weeks after Katrina to work (carpentry/construction). He was able to stay at his Mom's house in the West bank as her home was not ruined by Katrina. His wife and two children came back to the city and moved in with Tony and his Mom on the West Bank. He and his wife and two children now live just a few doors down from their home on Pasteur Drive and are renting. They are really excited to have help on their home and can't wait to get back in someday.

We were lucky enough to be put in contact with the Bono family through St Paul's Episcopal Homecoming, based in Gentilly. Including a grant from St Paul's, Tony has roughly $10,000 of funding remaining to finish the entire house. He is in need of roughly $35,000 to finish his home and bring is family back to 5722 Pasteur Drive. If you would like to help bring the Bono family back home, please contact us at 504-656-4165.

Most recently we had a wonderful group of volunteers from

Kaiser Permanente come volunteer with us at Pasteur Drive.

They were such hard workers and got SO MUCH work done!

2012-05-29T22:54:00.003-05:00

Laura Tusa: On Her Way To Being Home Again

Thanks to the City of New Orleans'

Owner Occupied Rehabilitation Program

Ms Laura Tusa was living in one of the very last FEMA trailers in Orleans Parish until this past February. She temporarily moved into her gutted home in the East when her FEMA trailer was taken. The City of New Orleans put PNOLA in touch with Ms Laura. Soon after PNOLA arranged for her to move in with her son so that we could get started on the rebuild.

Laura is pictured here with Albert Evans and Desmonde Lange both employees of the City who are working with PNOLA to fund the rebuild.

Please check back in, on our blog to follow Ms Laura's progress.

Tiawana Chandler

2012-05-29T22:49:00.000-05:00

Tiawana Chandler--Funding by Brad Cox of Cox Oil

Ms Tiawana Chandler is the proud mother of Ronell and two very sweet dogs, Tiger and Tyson. They have all been living in their home on Allen Street rather uncomfortably for a few years now. She had faulty repairs made on her home by a fraudulent contractor.

Tiawana's Client Biography was chosen by Mr Brad Cox, of Cox Oil. He has stepped up to donate the funds for the work that needs to be completed on Ms Tiawana's house. Brad is so happy to help out the Chandler household and looks forward to the finish date of the repairs.

We've had some amazing changes already at the Chandler household. Stay tuned for updates from our A+ Site Supervisor, Allison Maraldo as she documents her progress on the house week to week. And a shout out to Ian Tapscott for all of his hard work at the Chandler house!

2012-05-29T22:44:00.000-05:00

Ms Earnestine Bennett Johnson

Ms. Earnestine, who was living in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina, fled the city with her elderly father only one day before the storm. Unable to fight the traffic heading west, they headed east to Alabama where they had family to wait out the storm. Upon returning, they found a home devastated by wind and water damage.

Earnestine and her father put what money they had into it before he passed away less than one year after the storm, in May 2006. Unfortunately, her father was not given any insurance money for the house and was not awarded Road Home money before his passing. Despite going through succession to ensure that the house is legally hers, Earnestine has still not had any luck with the Road Home Program granting her the funds needed to rebuild the home. Earnestine has continued to try to put their family home back together again from Alabama while working and trying to settle into life away from her hometown, but because of the distance she was unable to supervise the project and poor work was performed by her subcontractor. This past October she decided that it was time to come home even if the house was not fully rebuilt. She was living in the house without a working kitchen and had plumbing issues in the bathroom downstairs (her primary bathroom).

Earnestine grew up in this house and is very close with all of the neighbors on the block. She is an only child and now that she’s lost both of her parents she cherishes her childhood home and the neighbors who have become her family over the years.

We are nearing the very end of all of the repairs needed at Ms Earnestine's house at this point. This project has taken longer than expected, but we are very pleased with the results. We'll be posting another blog the day that we finish. So stay tuned. A thank you in advance to ALL of the volunteers and our amazing Site Sup's who have worked on this house tirelessly for months now.

If I had a Hammer

2012-05-24T11:36:00.000-05:00

I'd hammer in the morning, and the afternoon, and all day from 7:30-4:00 pm, while only breaking half hour for lunch, and several times in between to wipe the excessive amount of sweat from my brow, armpits, elbow creases, ears, shins, etc.

I also take breaks for the following things:

To film Allison spend her mid-afternoon break in a water gun fight with Ronnell and his friends on their half-day of school. She got schooled...

Also, while hammering 16d nails into rafters, keep in mind there is about a 1 in 20 chance that the nail will bounce back at your face and hit you RIGHT IN THE EYEBALL! i.e. I also take breaks to go to New Orleans Urgent Care and get myself some anti-biotic eyedrops and a sweet ass eye patch.

All in all, however, Ms. Tiawana Chandler and her son Ronnell's garage is coming along splendidly, and it is really turning out quite lovely:

Peace,

iTap

Guest Blog from Tony Fernandez of Kaiser Permanente

2012-05-21T08:23:00.001-05:00

When I applied to Kaiser Permanente’s Gulf Coast Rebuild project I never thought I would be chosen. I didn’t apply for the 2011 rebuild because after I read the application I sensed that they were looking for applicants with a lot of volunteering and community service experience, which that I did not possess at the time. In January of last year, I made it a habit to get more involved in my community; and I began to volunteer a few days a month at various organizations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. I continued this effort when I relocated with Kaiser to Burbank - a move I made to be closer to my son who lives in the L.A. area. When I decided to increase my community involvement, the desire to participate in the KP Gulf Coast was not a reason for doing so. I wanted to volunteer solely to give back. I felt I was far more fortunate than a lot of people and I wanted to help out those in need any way I could. I forgot about the volunteer trip to New Orleans, until John Edmiston, the project founder, sent out the message requesting applicants. I decided to give it a shot, filled out the application, and sent it back.

In January of 2012, I found out that I was one of 30 people chosen from over 800 applications. Those who applied were Kaiser Permanente employees from all over the country, including people from regions where Kaiser Permanente did not have a medical presence, but still maintained regional corporate offices. The application process was very competitive and it was a great honor to be selected to represent KP in New Orleans. I thought it was amazing that the company I worked for sent people to help rebuild in the Gulf Coast, considering they didn’t have any vested interest in the region. To me this just solidified that I was working for a company that truly cared about people. I read the acceptance email over a couple of times to make sure I was reading it correctly. I was filled with a deep gratitude for the opportunity to be of service, but I didn’t know at all what to expect.

The last time I was in New Orleans was for Mardis Gras about ten years earlier. It was a crazy time from what I remember. When I departed on that trip I was a little disappointed with myself for not taking in all the cultural points of interest the city offered. One of the first thoughts that came to mind when I was picked was that I would never get to sights that I missed the way they were before Katrina hit, but I was grateful to get to return to New Orleans, because now I would be able to give back.

Most of our group arrived on Sunday afternoon, April 29^th and they were met by vans at the airport and taken to the four-bedroom bunkhouse in Mid City, where we would stay for the week. Besides the 30 volunteers that were chosen, 10 additional volunteers known as the “Repeat Offenders” stayed at the house. The Repeat Offenders (ROs) were a group of men and women previously chosen by KP to volunteer, but now they returned on subsequent visits on their own accord. For some of the ROs, this was their fifth or six visit back to rebuild New Orleans. The ROs were a wealth of knowledge since they saw the city change over the past few years. They provided a lot of valuable insight into many aspects of NOLA, and many of them also had familial or personal ties to the city.

As a group of 40, we slept 10 people to a room and took four minute showers only once a day. The lack of conveniences helped the group become acquainted rather quickly. One thing about the group that I noticed right away was that everyone was talking and getting along rather well from the get go. I believe that could be attributed to two things, Kaiser Permanente employing great people and the idea that volunteers are people who are use to just showing up at events where they work together with strangers to accomplish common goals.

Later on Sunday evening the group walked to a park down the street for an introduction and overview into what we might expect for the week. As stories were told by the Repeat Offenders of past trips, I could see that people were already getting emotional. The more experiences I listened to, the more I wanted to get right to work.

When we got back to the bunkhouse groups were assigned to project leaders and everyone signed up for their weekly assignments. The teams that we chose on Sunday night were the people we would be working with all week long. I signed up to work on Mr. Bono’s house.

Monday started with a two-hour tour of the city and we learned about the areas that were most affected by the Hurricane. I was amazed by the amount of damage that still remained. Seven years later and it seemed like more than half of the city was still a mess. I don’t think many people know how much work still needs to be done and how many people are still displaced. I talked to many locals that week also and a they too thought that the rebuilding was mostly over. Having the knowledge of the destruction that occurred not only overwhelmed me emotionally, but made me want to start working on the project I chose right away.

My project the first day was to drywall Mr. Tony Bono’s house on Pasteur Street in the Gentilly neighborhood. At Mr. Bono’s house the KP group partnered up with local project leaders Catherine from the volunteer organization of Phoenix of NOLA and Sebastian from Hands On New Orleans. Catherine possessed tons of knowledge in carpentry and knew how to instruct and lead a work crew. I found out that she had been helping her dad and grandpa build houses since she was 13 years old. Sebastian was also very helpful and professional, and he and Catherine did an great job of guiding our team’s work on Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday. They quickly became part of our family and were equally impressed with our group’s work output. Another great outcome of our work at Mr. Bono’s house was that many of the volunteers were learning new skills that they could take back and use at home or at volunteering events in their communities. I really enjoyed my time at Mr. Bono’s, but was bummed that we did not get to meet him or his family.

Every night at the bunkhouse one of the groups would cook dinner for all of the other volunteers. A debrief was held after we ate so that all the groups could hear each team’s progress. Along with updates about the different projects, people shared emotional stories of their interactions with locals who were affected by Katrina, either through material loss or the death of a loved one. Those stories brought the work we were doing even closer to home. For me, the more stories I heard the more work I wanted to do. To not get too overwhelmed mentally, about mid-week, I had to remind myself that work in this city would be going on for many more years after my group left. I had to remember we couldn’t fix everything.

On Wednesday each group moved on to a new project. My clan moved to the 7^th Ward to work on Ms. Emily’s garden: an oasis in an otherwise desolate area of the city where a young lady maintained an urban garden and taught the local children how to plant and harvest their own food. Ms. Emily and the kids would harvest and cook dinner on Thursday nights often using food from the garden. Along with the people we met through the volunteer organizations, Ms. Emily was among many of the transplants who came to New Orleans for school or work who dedicated themselves to the rebuilding efforts. I was deeply affected by all the selfless giving I witnessed throughout the week.

The Kaiser Permanente contingent participated in two group projects throughout the week, at Success Preparatory Academy, building and presenting bikes to children at the school, and finishing the week building a “Senior Serenity Garden” in Mrs. Pittman’s yard in the St. Bernard Parish. It was amazing to see the whole group complete so much work in such a short timeframe.

I want to dedicate my life to volunteering and helping out where I am most needed. I was honored to be chosen to go to NOLA and help continue rebuilding. One of the things that most affected me on my trip was the devastation that still remained almost six and a half years later. At our closing dinner on Friday, one of the people in our group spoke about the importance of a home and what a home means. I couldn’t imagine losing not only my home, but everything I owned. Because of Katrina some people in New Orleans not only lost their home and all their possessions, but they lost loved ones too. The amazing thing is that a lot of those people continued to move forward. They didn’t give up. It was an honor to be able to go to New Orleans and help rebuild a community of some of the friendliest and proudest people in our nation. I took a piece of the city home with me in my heart and hope I can come back soon to continue what I started a few weeks ago.

Math and Other Things I Never Thought I'd Do

2012-05-20T15:01:00.000-05:00

Remember when you were in math class and somebody complained that it was a waste of time because you were never actually going to use any of the material in real life? I couldn't help but think of that Friday as I was trying to figure out how long to make the back legs of the drafting table I was building for the office. I was pretty proud of myself for figuring out I could use the sine function to determine the elevation change based on the angle, and even prouder that I could remember what the sine function was (or that there even is such a thing as the sine function). I think it turned out pretty well:

Hurray math!

If my math teacher had told me that I was going to use geometry every day in my real life as a construction worker I definitely would not have believed her. Come to think of it, though, I do a lot of things these days that would have been inconceivable to me 10 years ago. Like the day I had Tuesday when I crawled into the dirty spider-filled space under a house and used a saw-z-all to dismantle an old furnace. After hours of sawing, digging, and strenuous pushing and pulling from awkward positions, I finally managed to drag the thing out:

Take that, furnace!

Though not all of them were carried out underneath a house, this past week was full of strange tasks. Other assignments included finding a way to level a condenser platform despite having to put it halfway on a very un-level sidewalk, cutting a large hole in a finished floor, installing trim next to a cage full of puppies, installing a door next to a cage full of kittens, and...mowing the lawn. Okay, maybe mowing the lawn isn't terribly strange but it's also not exactly what I saw myself doing for a living. This job definitely has a way of side-tracking plans (whether they are plans for a task, for a week, or for a path through life) and demanding adaptability. Sometimes it can be frustrating but it's certainly never boring!

2012-05-17T21:29:00.000-05:00

Hey Blog World

Sorry I havent blogged in a while! Heres a quick run down of what I've been doing!

A couple weeks ago I had the great pleasure of working with Kaiser Permanente! They brought such a great energy to the Bono home! We got so much work done and we had a great time doing it!

Here are half of the volunteers I worked with from this group, I unfortunately did not snag a picture of the first group, sorry guys :( This website can describe their trip and why they came way better than I would ever be able to. http://info.kp.org/communitybenefit/html/get_involved/global/gulf/index.html
It shows the amazing work that Kaiser Permanente has done for the Gulf Coast and why they are so invested in bringing us back.

The group I had last week was from James Madison University! I also worked with this University last year on Ms.Longos home. It was great to see that JMU has a large interest in helping the city make a comeback!

(I hope that everyone takes note that I am wearing my JMU shirt I received last year!)

And this week I worked with 3 inspiring individuals from Massachusetts. We worked at Ms.Mary Rushs home because we so so close to finishing. Unfortunately I usually take pictures on Friday so I do not have a shot of these volunteers but they have gotten so much done. I am sure we will finish the house early next week. Here is a picture of the insulation we blew into the attic today.

Last but not least I wanted to revisit a picture I posted in my last blog post. At first when I looked at it I just thought it was a picture of Devon working on a door but check out this priceless face.

Have a good weekend everybody

Katherine

N Tripple SEE you soon?...too much?

2012-05-16T08:14:00.000-05:00

Wow have the past 6 weeks flown by!
As Gil said just a few days ago in his blog PNOLA has been going through some big things. Biggest, and best, is the great Delta 9 from Vicksberg Mississippi stopped by to help out for 6 solid weeks. They laughed, they cried, they lost their wallets. It was great. Needless to say, I totally lost track of all sorts of time and did a horrible job of keeping all of you up to date on how things were going with the grey and khaki clad group.
So, here we go...a little bit of introducing, updating and sending off.
12 people chosen to live in a house (our office) for 6 weeks. Kinda like Real World, but better cause these people have devoted their lives to 10 months of service. Chandra the fearless team leader brought a van full of NCCC (N Trips) in and lead them on their first spike. Originally we were going to work solidly through at Laura Tusa's house getting her back home, but plans changed and we got separated (sad day). Luckily though this separation gave everyone a chance to learn a ton of new skills and ultimately get more work done. I'd say that Amanda, Chad, Glenn, Andrew, Jai and Donnell left Erin Drive expert drywallers and mudders. Vanessa, Jessie and Meghan spent a ton of time over with John at Mary Rush's house laying flooring, hanging doors and doing some finishing touches. Steve and Brett got to hop around some doing specialty things--anything from helping with our tool organization to framing to punch list. Most importantly they were all so willing to do whatever was needed of them.
I am so thankful for the work that they did here with us. They might not have finished a house from start to finish but they were such a big part of helping to return families to their homes who were displaced 7 years ago.
They know they are always welcome back--especially to help rebuild (since they have great skills) but also to visit and catch up with our staff.
Thanks Delta 9....oh so fine.

Lizard v. Lizard

2012-05-09T19:17:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we had quite the lunchtime entertainment over at Tiawana's house. There are always quite a few lizards roaming around the garage but we've never seen two more ferocious lizards than the ones we saw yesterday. It all started with a brown lizard and a green lizard. They were going around in circles for awhile sizing each other up. And then, BRAIN CHOMP!

The brown one started to turn green which got a bit confusing for the cheering section. The brown-green one clearly had the upper hand throughout the whole battle. They twisted around for awhile and eventually the green one escaped the epic brain chomp. Both lizards made it out alive but the undisputed winner was the brown-green lizard. And finally he turned brown again post-battle, making him the brown-green-brown lizard fighting champion. Tune in to National Geographic- Gentilly Edition for video coverage.

Here's a shot of Ian and our two NCCC members Steve and Bret, watching the lizard battle, looking very excited.

Besides watching lizard battles, we've been making great progress. Ian, Bret, and Steve have been working away on the garage while I've been working inside with our 3 volunteers from James Madison University, Renna, Sarah, and Andrew. We started tiling the master bedroom yesterday.

And here's what our progress looked like toward the end of the day today.

And yes, that is black tile with gold walls.
GO SAINTS!

Its not "goodbye", its "see you soon"...

2012-05-08T00:31:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone!

I know its been a while since my last blog, but in my defense, its been a VERY busy time here at PNOLA. Things have been changing, work has been flying, volunteers have been rotating in and out, its been a hectic environment. Not only have we been swamped with awesome volunteers, but we have also had a great NCCC team helping us. Delta 9 from Vicksberg, Mississippi has been thrashing work like its nothing! It may only be these guys and gals first round, but with their work ethic you would swear they've been doing this forever. I've had the great privelige of working with Glenn, Donell, Brett and Andrew. I didn't get the opprotunity to work the whole team but these four have shown amazing character, teamwork and leadership skills. I am confident that the whole team is doing great under the supervision of their Team Leader, Chandra. Go Delta 9!! Thank you all for your hard work! You should all feel proud of the good you've all done and the people you've helped!!

Also, on the subject of outstanding indivduals, I would like to give credit to two of the most positive, motivated, happy and amazing people I have met here in New Orleans. Yes Baldwin sisters, I'm talking about you! Sarah and Jessie Baldwin have given new meaning to the word "motivating" to me. They are always making the best they can of situations, staying positive in the face of overwhelming negitivity and always there to bring a smile to peoples faces even when they are not having the easiest of days. These two I consider the heart and soul of PNOLA and are a great team!

Kudos also need to be given to Kirt and Heidi, our project managers, for taking on so much responsibility and workload in order to keep our projects working smoothly. They bring their "A" game every day and do so much behind the scenes that no one sees. They are extremely dedicated people and deserve credit!

Now none of this could be put into action at all without the expert know-how and precise knowlege that our Director of Construction, Mr. Jim MacQueen, brings to the table. His vast experience is an invaluble resource to PNOLA and New Orleans as a whole. His tireless dedication is what keeps PNOLA chugging along day after day. I feel honored to have had the great opprotunity to work with him.

Now I know this blog may seem a little different from my normal format (What with all the kudos and praise) but I feel it is more than appropriate for my final blog post. Yes, this will be my final blog post for PNOLA. Due to family needs I am leaving New Orleans early. I feel sad that I am leaving but I also have a great feeling of accomplishment and joy for all that I have been a part of here. From starting new projects to finishing houses, I have learned a lot in my 9 months here. Not only construction skills but also a lot about myself. I feel that this experience has helped me grow and experience new things I never thought I would experience (living outside California for instance) I feel proud to have helped in a small way rebuild New Orleans and wouldn't trade my time here for anything.

Well, thanks again to everyone who was a part of this experience. To all the volunteers, the home owners, and of course my co-workers, thank you all for one of the greatest experiences of my life! Ill be back sometime, I know I will, so until then...its not "goodbye" its "see you soon"...

-G Funk out

In The Garage

2012-04-30T22:48:00.001-05:00

In the garage I feel safe
No one cares about my ways
In the garage where I belong
No one hears me sing this song...

Except for Bret who is running around like a crazy man trying to get everything in order...

Bret and Steve, two fine young Americorps NCCC Corps Members have been helping Allison and myself erect a garage for Ms. Tiawana Chandler at her home in Gentilly. That giant header you see at the top of the garage door opening is made of two 2x12 pieces of lumber nailed together with some plywood sandwiched in between, and it's over 8 feet long! Getting it up was no treat, but it's up, and solid, and heavy as hell... ain't nothin gonna bring that roof down...

Here are all the workers peering in to admire their handiwork:

Aren't they just darling!

OH! and here's the lovely site I see when I get home... Devon and Banjo reading together on the front stoop :) .

I've got a dungeon master's guide

I've got a twelve-sided die

I've got Kitty Pride

iTap

Progress Progress Progress

2012-04-24T21:12:00.001-05:00

Hello everybody!

This week I have been kickin butt at Earnestine Bennett Johnsons! I have been working with Devon aka Dijon aka Jimmy Neutron aka Dijon Neutron!

Here she is installing the brand new front doors!

We also got the new stove delivered which will be installed this week with new cabinets and countertops!

And we finally got the shower tiled! Tomorrow we will grout it and Thursday the plumbers will arrive to do the trim out!

I hope you guys enjoyed the enthusiasm behind this blog post! Every sentence with an exclamation point!

Bye!
Katherine!

DEMO!

2012-04-23T17:20:00.001-05:00

Demo has been the name of the game the past few weeks.

First I started at Albert Love’s house. Here’s some before pictures. This was an addition to the back of the house.

And a shed at the back of the property.

With the help of some wonderful volunteers from Colorado State Pueblo and Arkansas Tech the back addition is no longer there.

And the back of the property looks like this.

Check out those muscles!

Now the home is ready to be elevated and then we can begin repairs.

Next I started a new project at Tiawana Chandler’s home. She had a garage/shed that had some major problems so we’ll be building her a beautiful new one. Here’s a before picture.

Here are some volunteers in action from Justin Siena High School in Napa, California.

And this is what it looked like by the end of last week.

We also poured a concrete curb to prevent water leaking in on the slab.

And just in case I didn’t beat the record for most pictures in one blog post, here’s a little gem of Devon over at Mary Bullard’s.

That's all for now!