Katrina "Krewe" Making a Difference
Head of Community Service Johnny Montanez and senior Will O’Brien have spent the week in New Orleans, along with a group of Sacred Heart students, assisting in the efforts to rebuild the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
From Johnny Montanez:
Will O’Brien ’15 and I arrived last weekend excited to get our hands dirty and to help those in need. Many, if not all, of us have seen the horrific photos of the tragedy Hurricane Katrina left in her path, and to see the devastation in person is astounding.
Shortly after our arrival, we attended mass at the oldest African American Church in New Orleans and spent the day learning about the aftermath of Katrina by visiting the Ninth Ward, the Katrina museum, and speaking with survivors.
The thousands of destroyed homes and empty lots are a remembrance of the damage that was caused, but the work of volunteers has helped energize the city and propelled natives to rebuild instead of relocate. While it has taken time to get to this point, volunteers are pouring in from all over the country to help where they can.
The thousands of destroyed homes and empty lots are a remembrance of the damage that was caused, but the work of volunteers has helped energize the city and propelled natives to rebuild instead of relocate. While it has taken time to get to this point, volunteers are pouring in from all over the country to help where they can.
Together, with the Convent of the Sacred Heart, we have caulked the exterior of a home, primed and painted siding, inserted hardwood floors, spackled, cut and inserted crown molding, insulated walls, put up drywall, sanded walls, and cut and inserted framing.
The pain and sadness in the eyes of the residents from the Ninth Ward has inspired us to give our all for eight hours a day. With three days left, there is no doubt that we will get a family closer to moving back into their home. It has been an amazing experience.
I look forward to bringing a larger group down next year.
From Will O’Brien ’15
We started off the day with a morning prayer, after which Mrs. Wilson asked us to spend the day reflecting on our purpose here on this trip. We arrived at the worksite around 8:30 a.m. and continued working in our assigned rooms.
Most of the rooms still needed to be mudded, but our focus shifted from mudding the holes in the wall to mudding the corners of the walls. One group also spent the morning preparing the two separate bathrooms for mortar, a substance similar to mud but better suited for bathrooms since it does not respond as badly to water.
Most of the rooms still needed to be mudded, but our focus shifted from mudding the holes in the wall to mudding the corners of the walls. One group also spent the morning preparing the two separate bathrooms for mortar, a substance similar to mud but better suited for bathrooms since it does not respond as badly to water.
At noontime, we got in the vans and headed across town to see the house the CSH group worked on last year. Seeing the end product of what we are currently working on was definitely a good feeling. We ate our lunches on the way, and took a much-appreciated stop at McDonalds for some ice cream on the way back.
By the end of the day at the worksite, the progress we made on the house was clearly noticeable. Both bathrooms were finished being mortared and all of the rooms were just about done with their first layer of mud. At 4 p.m. we began cleaning up and soon after got in the vans to head back to Duchesne House.
At dinner, a woman named Ms. Lisa joined us to talk about her experience during Hurricane Katrina. She has been working as a security supervisor at the Superdome for 33 years, and was in charge of recruiting people to come work at the Superdome during Katrina. Her very insightful and interesting stories were a highlight of the day for us.
We closed our day reflecting on our purpose, circling back to the question of the day. Some of us realized that everyone has a story and we should not prejudge people. We realize that there are people very close to home who could use our help and even in our own school community.
Brunswick School Greenwich, CT
-
Upper School
100 Maher Avenue
Office: 203.625.5856
Lower School
1252 King Street
Office: 203.485.3670 -
Middle School
1275 King Street
Office: 203.242.1202
Pre School
1252 King Street
Office: 203.485.3652
Main Phone: 203.625.5800
Business: 203.242.1220
Alumni: 203.242.1223
Alumni: 203.242.1223