It’s no easy feat leaving the balmy 70 degree weather of New Orleans for northern climates, but leave we must. Sitting on a flight headed toward Washington D.C., we met fellow passenger William Beach, director of external relations for DEA Education Foundation. Mr. Beach was impressed to hear that our alumni had organized to help with the New Orleans recovery.

Like any major city, New Orleans struggles with a drug problem. But since Hurricane Katrina that problem has taken on new proportions as cheap drugs are now flooding the city’s streets. “Law enforcement, schools, and social service agencies are dealing with the ‘Katrina Generation’,” said Beach. “These are young adults and teenagers that are having a hard time coping with Katrina's aftermath; the loss of friends, homes, neighborhoods, and jobs.”

Recognizing that education plays a major role in reducing the demand for drugs, the DEA Education Foundation is launching a nine-month educational exhibit in New Orleans that deals with the many costs and consequences of drug abuse. The exhibit hopes to have more than 500,000 school children, teachers, and families tour the exhibit in an attempt to educate the citizens about the horrific damages drug abuse causes. More than 90% of crimes committed in New Orleans have a drug component, and it’s the DEA’s hope that this exhibit will cause a decline in that number.

“Rebuilding the neighborhoods and the support structure that goes along with them is another big component of combating this problem,” said Beach, “so many thanks to your alumni for their work.”

Sadly, our week rebuilding homes in New Orleans is over and although it was a lot of hard work, each one of us wouldn’t have traded our time here for anything! To commemorate our final night together, we went to dinner at Irene’s Cuisine in the French Quarter. Before we could ask for the check, the restaurant manager came over to tell us that our entire bill ($700) had been paid by an anonymous resident of New Orleans who was grateful for the work that we had done. What an incredible end to an incredible experience!

Leaving our worksites yesterday, covered in dust and with globs of joint compound stuck in our hair, we looked out at the many boarded-up homes still in need of repair. When would these families be back? How long would it take to rebuild this community? It seemed overwhelming. No one spoke as we solemnly sat in the van leaving the Lower Ninth Ward.

As we turned a corner we started to hear a low thumping noise. Still closer, we realized it was a bass drum and that trumpets had joined in. Up ahead the Martin Luther King Charter School Marching Band was making its way down the road blaring out the refrain from “Louie Louie.” Goosebumps ran up and down our arms as we watched them proudly march down the avenue playing for the many families and neighbors that lined the street. What seemed overwhelming only moments ago, was replaced with a sense that, whatever it takes, this work has to get done for the future generations of New Orleans.

You never know where you’ll meet UMass Amherst alumni! While visiting the North Rampart Community Center, Mary Custard ’82, ’87G and Patricia Bernard ’83 met fellow alumni Chris Brown ’08 and Rod Motamedi ’08. The pair, who work for Remi Economic Models Inc. out of Amherst, were in New Orleans on business and wanted to see the landmark gymnasium that has been the location for films such as Glory Road, Out of the Storm and the soon to be released, Hurricane Season.

Chris and Rod joined us later that night at the alumni reception hosted by New Orleans residents Charles Hadley '64, '67G; William Knecht '65; and Keith Liederman '84. In a lovely bed and breakfast overlooking jazz clubs of Frenchman Street, our group was treated to a wonderful Cajun dinner of red beans and rice with chicken and seafood gumbo! After a long day of work, meeting fellow alumni and sharing some of the food, music, and culture of New Orleans was truly a memorable experience.

We saw some truly fantastic New Orleans weather yesterday. The skies were cloudy all morning, then darkened in the blink of an eye and proceeded to unleash torrential rains. Luckily our work projects were all indoors, so we were able to continue making progress on the homes we’re rebuilding.

In the Lower Ninth Ward, tile work continued in the kitchen and bathrooms of homes for Ms. Thomas and Ms. Lacost. Having finished inserting insulation throughout the new construction project for Conrad and Wanda Bailey, our crew began putting up sheetrock. For many of the volunteers, this was a learning experience as they had never done this type of construction work before. But with a few minutes of instruction from the site manager, our crew was good to go!

At the Mid-city projects, sheetrock was replacing damaged plaster throughout the home of Ms. Keyes, while our second crew applied joint compound to drywall.

Volunteer Video Journal

Bill Welsh '57 and Sarah Koen '05 remark on their work project in the Lower Ninth Ward.

It’s been rewarding to see the progress made on our worksites each day and to get to know the homeowners we’re helping. Miss Keyes is in her 80s and lives alongside her sister in Mid-city. The contractor she hired to repair her home put in new light fixtures and carpeting, but neglected to remove water damaged plaster and wood frame on the walls. Our volunteers are making the repairs right and bringing Miss Keyes one step closer to moving back into her home.

With the first work day under our belts, everyone has a clearer picture of what’s ahead and how important their service is to the residents of New Orleans. Before heading out this morning, Kevin Fleming, the Alumni Association coordinator, provided a few words for thought:

• Be considerate of the people’s homes you’re working on, the service organizations who work year round to coordinate volunteers, and of one another.
• Show enthusiasm. Bond with each other, look to meet new people and show your UMass Amherst pride!
• Have patience with one another, work conditions, accommodations, and the weather.
• Challenge yourselves to learn new things and develop new skills. And remember all work is valuable and appreciated.
• Service to others is why you’re here. Be proud of what you’re doing and have fun!

Our volunteers were up before sunrise this morning. At 5:30 a.m. Bill, Charles, and Julie were up making coffee and oatmeal for the rest of the crew. By 7:00 a.m. everyone was ready to head out to the worksites. The volunteers were split between two projects: one headed to the Lower Ninth Ward to do finish work on a house, the other went to the Mid-city area to start tearing down plaster and removing debris.

Our twenty-four alumni volunteers came to New Orleans from all parts of the country: Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, DC, Maryland, Missouri, Virginia, Florida, and California. One by one they arrived at the HandsOn New Orleans Bunk House on Bank Street.

The first order of business was to pick out a bunk bed. The accommodations aren’t luxurious, but they’re adequate and our group is more interested in the work projects they’ll see tomorrow.