"You must be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Ghandi

Habitat for Humanity New Orleans

A group of 28 students from the Leonard Leadership Scholars Program left for New Orleans on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008 to assist in the city's ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina. These student leaders are partnered with Habitat for Humanity to assist in the reconstruction of new homes for New Orleans residents who were significantly impacted by Katrina and unable to rebuild their homes without assistance. ILA Director Dale Gauthreaux, economics professor and LLSP Director Chris Cornwell, and LLSP Coordinator Tracie Sanchez also joined the students on this service project.

2 Years Later

"Over two years have passed since Katrina made landfall, and there is still much work left to be done. Class of 2008 scholars Brooke Burlingame and Kramer Johnson have family members in the region and were affected by Katrina," said project leader Lauren Berardicurti. "Furthermore, I think it is our responsibility to help our fellow Americans recover from this terrible tragedy. In response, Berardicurti formed a nine-member student committee to plan, organize and arrange the project.

Mahatma Gandhi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world." This quote was on the students minds over the weekend as they hammered away on houses with Habitat for Humanity. Berardicurti's committee decided to theme the trip "The Big Change" since they were traveling to the "Big Easy." While in New Orleans the students stayed at Habitat for Humanity's "Camp Hope" which was a gutted public middle school in St. Bernard's parish, southeast of the city. It is estimated that St. Bernard's was one of the areas most destroyed by the storm, and there has been little to no growth in over two years.

A Stepping Stone

The students were immediately able to visualize these effects as they drove through neighborhoods like the ninth ward and worked on different Habitat houses. Throughout the course of the weekend, the students worked on two different homes, and were able to meet the family of one of the houses they worked on. At the end of the last day, the students gathered around the family as they told their story -- a story of despair, but also of hope. They had lost their home in the storm, and since then they have lost other close family members in tragic accidents. However, they are loyal to their city and culture and want to see change in the future. Our opportunity to start building their home was a major stepping stone in making their dreams come true as they continue to move back towards a more normal, pre-Katrina, sans FEMA trailer life. One of the five core values of the Institute for Leadership Advancement and the Leonard Leadership Scholars program is stewardship, and to have the opportunity to spend a weekend to give our time and efforts to serve the city New Orleans not only benefitted Habitat for Humanity and St. Bernard's parish, but also us as students.

"To truly know the impact you're having on someone's life, through service or volunteering, is a rare opportunity that we experienced by getting our hands dirty building houses and from the conversations we shared with New Orleans residents," said Boomer Spain.

For a summary on last year's trip click here.