by Lisa Perkins
lperkins@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY - Sand, sun and sandals were replaced by blisters, sweat and a sense of acomplishment for a group of Northwestern Michigan College students who took an alternative spring break trip.
The group of 10 students and two local United Way employees spent the last week of March hanging drywall and installing insulartion while working with the St. Bernard Project to help rebuild homes for families displaced after Hurricane Katrina. "This is something we have wanted to do for several years, but this year everything fell into place," said Michelle Gallagher, coordinator of the trip for United Way of Northwest Michigan. United Way Worldwide has partnered with the St. Bernard Project, bringing volunteers to assist in their efforts since the hurricane devastated New Orleans more than five years ago.
"The impact was more than any of us had anticipated, the neighborhoods are not even halfway rebuild, the amount of homes that are still completely gutted, or just have cement foundations left is amazing," said Gallagher, whose crew worked on two homes during their five-day stay.
AmeriCorps Vista supervisors gave instrucitons to the students who worked on drywalling the home of an older man, Marcel Rivera, whose house had been gutted right down to the studs. At the home of Tonya Scott, the team also learned to install insulation. "People there are still pretty positive for what they have been through. They still want to rebiuld," said Gallagher, who hopes that some of the students she worked with will continue volunteering in their own community.
Mike Foster, a 19-year-old NMC student from Flint, says the trip to New Orleans was an opportunity that dosen't come up every day. "A trip of this magnitude changed my view of volunteering. It is great to work at a soup kitchen for a day, but working for a week on a project like this was really life-changing," said Foster, who plans to continue volunteering by working with Habitat for Humanity. "There is still a lot to do down there, but there is a lot that needs to be done in my hometown too," he said.
lperkins@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY - Sand, sun and sandals were replaced by blisters, sweat and a sense of acomplishment for a group of Northwestern Michigan College students who took an alternative spring break trip.
The group of 10 students and two local United Way employees spent the last week of March hanging drywall and installing insulartion while working with the St. Bernard Project to help rebuild homes for families displaced after Hurricane Katrina. "This is something we have wanted to do for several years, but this year everything fell into place," said Michelle Gallagher, coordinator of the trip for United Way of Northwest Michigan. United Way Worldwide has partnered with the St. Bernard Project, bringing volunteers to assist in their efforts since the hurricane devastated New Orleans more than five years ago.
"The impact was more than any of us had anticipated, the neighborhoods are not even halfway rebuild, the amount of homes that are still completely gutted, or just have cement foundations left is amazing," said Gallagher, whose crew worked on two homes during their five-day stay.
AmeriCorps Vista supervisors gave instrucitons to the students who worked on drywalling the home of an older man, Marcel Rivera, whose house had been gutted right down to the studs. At the home of Tonya Scott, the team also learned to install insulation. "People there are still pretty positive for what they have been through. They still want to rebiuld," said Gallagher, who hopes that some of the students she worked with will continue volunteering in their own community.
Mike Foster, a 19-year-old NMC student from Flint, says the trip to New Orleans was an opportunity that dosen't come up every day. "A trip of this magnitude changed my view of volunteering. It is great to work at a soup kitchen for a day, but working for a week on a project like this was really life-changing," said Foster, who plans to continue volunteering by working with Habitat for Humanity. "There is still a lot to do down there, but there is a lot that needs to be done in my hometown too," he said.
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