Community Service & Civic Engagement
During the 2010 spring break at Muhlenberg College, many of our students are participating in Alternative Spring Break programs. Throughout their trip, students will be updating these pages with news, photos and videos of their experiences.
Our students are also engaged in a service project in Israel.
March 12, 2010
I can hardly believe that today was our last day working on the Major’s house. As a thank you, the Major’s kindly brought us sandwiches, chips and soda to keep us going as we insulated, dry-walled, and paint scraped their house.
We were all so appreciative of their kind gesture and took this snack break as a chance to talk with Willie and Darlene for a final time before we had to pack up and head out.
A little after noon we left the house site to have a debriefing session with Zack Rosenburg, the CEO and Co-Founder of St. Bernard Project. This was a great chance for us to discuss our thoughts, opinions, expectations and ideas about the program in general and our personal experiences with the St Bernard Project.
It was so great to be able talk with one of the founders of the organization, and have him listen and take value in our opinions. However, the timing of the meeting cut our work time on the house short. Being the dedicated workers that we are, each of us felt a necessity to continue our work and progress on the house.
To appease this situation, we made a plan to return to the Major house after our meeting and work until 4, which allowed us to finish the insulation on the one side of the house and put up one board of drywall in Willie and Darlene’s bedroom along with other great projects around the house. In all, the steps we made on the house today were visible and exciting and something that made me very proud of what each of us accomplished this week.
To conclude this lovely day we had a delicious Shabbat dinner at the Shalew household that was fun, filling and extremely tasty. The generosity and kindness that we have been shown by everyone we have met on this trip has far exceeded any expectations that I had set before we departed for New Orleans. Even the simple wave that everyone gives when they pass you in the street is a gesture that I did not anticipate but find to be lovely.
The kindness that the people who worked at a nearby deli showed us this week was unbelievable, as they allowed us all to walk in their store and use their bathroom every day that we worked over at Beachhead Road. As we said goodbye to the many people we met while working, we could not forget to thank them for their own generosity and kindness towards us.
It truly is unreal that we are done our work on the Major’s house and will soon be leaving not only the Dusty Mansion, but all the people we have met with all their stories, memories and hopeful tales for the future. I wish for the best for the Major Family and I hope our small effort can be a part of a big change for that lovely family.
-Rachel Aslaksen '13
Yes, today is Friday and we cannot believe it! The week truly flew by and carries with it an abundance of memories for all of us. Today we went to the work site to finish up some insulation on the house, start putting up fireboard and drywall, as well as continue to scrape paint off the sides of the house.
The work was hard, but by the end of the day we had accomplished so much. We, as a group, are very proud of the progress we made all week and are so happy to give our time to a project we are so passionate about.
During the morning hours, as we got closer to lunchtime, the owners of the house came to the house with sandwiches, chips, and drinks for all of the volunteers. Their generosity was clearly shown through this act of kindness and we were so appreciative. We were thrilled to see the family and talk with them again. Their presence at the work site allows us to recognize that we were not just working on a house all week, but we were building a home, and a home for a wonderful family.
After a bit more work we met with someone from the St. Bernard Project for a wrap-up session. We talked together about what we learned from our week down here, and we all received certificates that showed our participation in the St. Bernard Project during their Million Dollar March Campaign.
We were given the chance to reflect on our experience, and for many of us we will be processing this experience in our minds for days, weeks, and possibly years. These alternative spring break trips are memorable and we treasure the experiences we have had.
Following this we had a discussion session at the headquarters of the St. Bernard Project. We met with Zach Rosenburg, one of the founders of the St. Bernard Project. He was very interested in talking with us about our experiences and ways in which we can bring what we learned and what we did here in the St. Bernard Parish back home with us.
One thing that Zach said to us was that the focus of the St. Bernard Project is to restore and rebuild homes for those people who have been forgotten. Our time here in New Orleans is very much appreciated and we are all so invested in this project and hope to come back in the future.
Now that our workweek is over we are discussing how we can bring it back to campus, and we are so very excited to raise awareness around us, not just among the college campus, but also among our friends and family. Our investment in this project does not end here, so expect to see us on around!
-Dara Rosenblatt '12
Working on the Majors’ house all week, I feel as though we have begun to gain a sense of understanding of the devastation that occurred here five years ago.
We learned that of the 27,000 homes in the St. Bernard Parish, after Hurricane Katrina tore through, only 2 homes were left inhabitable. However, while the progress that the project has made is inspiring, but has left me with a sense of hopelessness about all that still has to be done.
It is often easy to lose perspective when thinking about such an overwhelming situation, but it is important to remember that we are part of something much larger than just ourselves and our efforts.
This was evident when we got to discuss our experiences with Dean Green this afternoon, as she had flown in from Allentown this morning to spend time with us and help facilitate a discussion in which we all shared our ideas and tried to make sense of what we have been processing.
We discussed the breadth of the situation, and we spoke of our frustrations and fears. We shared our opinions of advocacy for the area and its residents and former residents; we discussed whether blame can be placed, and if so, on whom; we talked about feeling angry, and hopeless, and the possibility of channeling those frustrations into action; we discussed our feelings of the disbelief, and this drive to get others to feel the way we feel, to understand our commitment.
At times, some of us marveled at the way our culture works in that when things are off the front page of the newspaper, it is as though they are out of our frame of reference. And although this discussion could go on for far longer, and in a less formal way, it has, it seemed we could all agree on the fact that what we can and need to do is take what we have seen and learned this week and share it with others, in hopes that by reminding people of the reality, and making them aware of the need that still exists here, we would be able to have the biggest impact.
Soon the Major family will get to move back into their house, which will be painted orange, by Darlene Major’s request, so it “stands out on the street,” and while we know there is still a long road towards recovery for the people of St. Bernard, and the city of New Orleans, until it is back to what it was before the hurricane hit, it is comforting to know that they will be back in their home, safe and comfortable, and with the happiness and strength of knowing that people care about them, and perhaps we all need to work to ensure that everyone else gets the same basic rights they all deserve.
- Riana Goren '12
March 11, 2010
Today we celebrated the 19th Birthday of Jessy April '13 by returning to our Major House and continuing to scrape paint off the walls, and install insulation and dry wall. The group focused in the smallest scraps of paint to the large Plexiglas cotton-candy textured rolls that will add warmth to the Major's split houses.
During a bathroom break, I walked with others to the local convenience store, and heard from Thadeus, from the deli department, about his experiences during Katrina. He told about the weak structure of the levees, and the difficulties faced in rebuilding homes so many years later.
While approaching the noon hour, Patti surprised Jessy with a giant cake, and the group sang Happy Birthday for the second time. Afterwards we were transported to a park for lunch, not far from the St. Bernard Project headquarters and "Donation House," which I worked on this past Monday. It was nice getting to know other members of the Project, and students from other spring break trips.
This evening, we visited the world-famous Cafe Du Monde (Cafe of the World) for Beignets, and then a festive evening on Bourbon Street. While taking an evening stroll with some other Muhlenberg students, we visited a voodoo store, and had a lengthy conversation with a the shop owner, who moved to New Orleans after Katrina in order to help rebuild houses for others.
It was very assuring to know that there are other, unnamed heroes involved in the effort of restoring the lives of so many.
- Ira Blum '10
March 9, 2010
Yesterday's workday started off with a low-key orientation session.
Today we started work right away on our house, bright and early at 8 am. We were armed with every student volunteer from Muhlenberg, half a dozen or so from Emory and the University of Georgia, and President Helm as well, having met up with is this morning.
Our first task was to continue scraping paint off the outside of the house. I was hoping the late afternoon/evening group yesterday would have had completed this chore, but all the better for us to get a further taste of the multi-faceted--and at times very tedious--tasks that involve home reconstruction.
Some paint would chip off, some wouldn't; I also wasn't sure how hard I needed to be trying (there wasn't a lot of muscle difference between not getting off any paint and chipping away wood with
it). Additionally I was thinking that some of the wood panels would
need to be replaced anyway, a disheartening thought that some of our frustrations may be unnecessary.
Suffice it to say, I jumped in response to a new activity, as our NCCC Americorps volunteer was
directing us to relocate tools to get ready for insulating the house's
interior. After a brief introduction, everyone geared up with gloves,
facemasks, and goggles to carve the insulation padding to fit with the
walls beams, wires, hoses, and electrical outlets. By the end of the day most of the house had insulation stapled in, and I bet very soon the
interior will be ready for dry wall installation.
Today we also got to meet the residents of the house we are
reconstructing. I first saw Willie, a 79 year old retired
grounds-keeper, meandering behind me (scraping paint) with a smile on
his face. He was on his way to shovel dog droppings and check on a
newly-cemented foundation their future new outdoor air-conditioner. I
hopped off the latter to greet him; with a beaming face he shook his
head in gratitude and through his smile told me how pleased he was to
see all of us motivated to help him. Later on, I met his wife, Darlene,
in the house. She was making sure all of us were wearing gloves, masks,
and the like to protect us from the fiberglass in the insulation.
In between her concerned gestures, she filled in stories of how she and Willie had been trying to fix the house up before the St. Bernard
Project stepped in. It had been slow going, as the electrictian they
had hired inappropriately installed the wiring system, effectively
robbing them of the money they had paid for the fee. Before Darlene
stepped out of the house though, sentiments of gratitude flooded out
from her; whatever had happened in the past, she couldn't be happier to
see how invested we were in helping during their time of need.
It was very impacting for us to get to know the actual residents of the
house we are working on. Many of us got a chance to hear accounts from
them of the actual flooding and life immediately thereafter, adding a
new personalized demension to our perspectives of the devastation. Some
of us had gotten tours from Darlene through the rooms of the house;
although everything now looks to us like a skeleton of wooden support beams, to her a nostalgic imagination pictured the homely details of
kitchen space and bedrooms for family members.
As she communicated these spaces to us, the house we were building became conceptualized as a home, a place with meaning and value attached to it rather than paint, wood, and insulation.
Through our brief meeting with Willie and Darlene, we were impressed with a new demension to our work; we weren't just helping out New Orleans anymore, we were helping to provide a home for a family.
That evening we all went out to Remoulade restaurant on Bourbon Street to celebrate the combined community of Muhlenberg students, Muhlenberg chaperones, President Helm, and Liz McCartney and Zack Rosenburg, the co-founders of the St. Bernard Project. Over local favorites such like seafood assortments, gumbo, jambalaya, and po-boy sandwiches, we laughed the night away telling old stories, and excitedly anticipated what was left to come during the remaining 5 days ahead of us.
- Matt Balaban '10
March 8, 2010
Today was a great start to our work week. After a tour of the entire St. Bernard Project organization, and learning how how we could bring awareness to our friends and families (text NOLA to 50555 to give $5!) we set out to work.
My group was scraping paint off of a house for a very deserving family, the Majors, and tomorrow our whole group will come together to prime the outside of the house and install drywall on the inside. Tonight we are cooking a big family dinner and all looking forward to a great night’s sleep!!
-Laura Prigoff ’10
We got off to an early start today--most of us were up by 6:15am! Despite the early time, we were all excited to get busy. Zack Rosenberg, one of the founders of the St. Bernard Project, gave us a personal tour of the St. Bernard Project organization facilities and we then went to a short orientation with students from Boston University.
We learned about a man named Frank who hoped to stay in his home through the hurricane, but the water soon entered his house and by the time he had collected his pets and personal items, he couldn’t even go down stairs--the water level was just to the top stair.
After we split into two groups and went to the houses. My group walked to the house we were working on. It was strange seeing some nice, rebuilt houses next to the pepto-bismal colored foundations, which we learned were bright pink because of a treatment for mold which had sunk into the foundation after two-four weeks of standing water after the hurricane.
We worked on demolishing a house so that it can be fogged which makes the foundation livable again. Half of us scraped linoleum off the floor while the others worked on breaking down rotten window frames. We’re now back at the Dusty Mansion. Nearly everyone is showered and we’re all ready to eat the delicious pasta e fagoli that Aaron Bova cooked for us
-Anna Hill-Moses ’12
Good Morning!
After a great nights rest in our beautiful Dusty Mansion (the bed and breakfast we rented), we are energized and ready for our first day of building! We can't believe all these Mules woke up this early (6:00 this morning)!
The flight down was great, and we had an awesome informational session last night run by Arielle Kramer on what we're doing here in New Orleans and our goals for the week. We start work today, so we'll have more updates soon!
- Ali Schkliar '12 and Meghan Butler '12