$5 Helps St. Bernard Project Bring Families Home!

The Tumwater Teens are back home safe and sound, but thousands of New Orleanians are still waiting for a home to return to nearly five years after Katrina.

Want to help? Text "NOLA" to 50555 to give $5 to help St. Bernard Project rebuild New Orleans communities.

Our Last Day of Work - April 9, 2010

The work is done, and the team is exhausted yet proud of their accomplishments. At the beginning of the week, the enormity of removing tons of debris and gutting the huge building made it seem an impossible. Yet, in just five days the downstairs of the building is gutted and ready for rebuilding. We ended the day at a Welcome Home Party, and were able to tour a home recently rebuilt by St. Bernard Project.

St. Bernard Project is still hard at working rebuilding communities and lives.

Our Fourth Day of Work - April 8, 2010

What a difference four days can make. The building is becoming an empty, gutted structure - a blank canvas for the creation of a community church.

The day was blessed with hard work, good food provided by church members, and visits with friends. Les Scharfenstein stopped by the work site - a former St. Bernard Project client who now works for the organization part-time. We also visited with Sharon Ansardi - whose house was rebuilt in 2008 by St. Bernard Project after three years of living in a FEMA trailer. Both people expressed overwhelming gratitude for the volunteers who help rebuild their homes and their community.

Our Third Day of Work - April 7, 2010

Much of the downstairs has been gutted, furniture and gym equipment broken down and removed. The Katrina-ravaged contents that had remained in a gymnasium for over four years are almost gone.

Members of the church arrive daily to look at the progress of their new church and to serve lunch to the 50+ Shirts Across America volunteers.

Our Second Day of Work - April 6, 2010

The gutting of the old gymnasium (soon to become a church) continues. It's amazing how much can be accomplished in just a day or two. The floor is ripped up - much of the drywall downstairs is gone - and literally tons of debris removed from the building and hauled away.

Our First Day of Work - April 5, 2010

Imagine walking into a building that no one had touched since Hurricane Katrina - a snapshot in time of August 29, 2005. The water rushed in that day and left a permanent mark at approximately twelve feet. The water remained for weeks, and then left in its wake reminders of what once occupied the space. Office supplies were in the lockers, gym shoes were left by members until their next visit, the child care center had toys and baby clothes waiting, food was still in the refrigerator. Five years later, teens rushed in to restore life to a building that will soon be a church.

Tumwater Teens Rebuilding in New Orleans

Black Hills High School students and chaperones get ready to start their work
day rebuilding for St. Bernard Project.

Pictured: Back-Lindsay Swick, Marriah Kerrihard, Erin Schneider, Deanna Morrison, Cindy Meyer, Krista Whittaker
Second Row - Tori Stamp, Tanner Johnson, Adam Meyer, Doug Stamp
Front - Lindsey Meyer, Garrison Stamp, Caitlin Meyer



Some pictures of volunteers during our trip.

St. Bernard Project is rebuilding communities in the greater New Orleans area. In addition to rebuilding over 270 homes post-Katrina, providing free mental health services to area residents, and beginning a new "Good Work/Good Pay" rebuilding program - SBP is helping local communities rebuild important community services. This week hundreds of high school and college students, under the leadership of Shirts Across America, are giving up their spring vacations to help in the post-Katrina rebuilding effort. This is the second annual trip for Black Hills High School Tumwater Teens. Today, they gutted a former gym in Meraux, Louisiana that will be rebuilt as The Garden of Prayer church. Within a few weeks, it will open its doors.