Tumwater Teens Help St. Bernard Project

Mike Morrison, Lindsey Meyer, Lindsay Swick, and Katie Repine

are four of the students from Black Hills High School coordinating a trip to

St. Bernard Parish, LA, to help rebuild a home destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Lindsey Meyer visited St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, in July. She was moved to help make a difference when she witnessed the thousands of homeowners who still need help getting back home. So, she texted her friends to see who would be interested in traveling to the area over spring break to volunteer for St. Bernard Project to help rebuild a home. To date, six teens and three parents have joined her team.

One stumbling block is raising funds for their journey. To date, there are two fundraising efforts under way:

1. Holiday Tea and Fashion Show at Schmidt Mansion on Sunday December 14th from 1:00-2:30 pm. Ticket price is $20.
2. Tumwater Auto Spa car wash tickets - $6 car wash tickets available - great stocking stuffers!

For more information on either of these fundraising activities, email helpstbernardproject@gmail.com

Fashion Show sponsored by Weddings With Joy and Ambience Salon

Pictures from Women's Rebuild!

Reflections on Women's Rebuild!

"It's impossible to understand from a distance."

These were Cathy's words at the end of our visit to St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. She pointed out to me that, before our journey this week, she was prone to believe that the people of the Gulf Coast should have done more to help themselves. What a difference a week makes.

After completing the tasks of our work day (painting, laying baseboard, caulking), we took time to visit with the residents of St. Bernard Parish and the staff of St. Bernard Project. They opened their hearts and homes to us as they explained their plight.

St. Bernard Parish residents are hard-working homeowners. They spent their adult lives working to pay the mortgage and the insurance - just like most of us. Yet when the flood waters washed away their homes and everything they owned, the insurance did not cover the damage. If they were fortunate enough to receive the Road Home money from the government, it paid the back-payments on the mortgage. No money was left over to rebuild the home.

These residents never had to ask for help before. They all have one thing in common - they are thankful for St. Bernard Project and for all the volunteers who come from around the country to rebuild.

Once you travel to St. Bernard Parish and visit with the kind, generous homeowners there, you'll never be the same. Cathy is planning a return visit with her teenage daughter.

Liz McCartney is a CNN Top Ten Hero

Liz McCartney, co-founder of St. Bernard Project, has been nominated as one of CNN's top ten CNN Heroes. Watch CNN's special on Thanksgiving (6pm Pacific time) night to find out if Liz wins CNN hero of the year! If she wins, she receives $100,000 to help rebuild eight homes.

Women's Rebuild!

Cindy and Cathy traveled to St. Bernard Parish October 13-15, 2008 to join forces with women from around the country to rebuild homes in St. Bernard Parish. Women's Rebuild Week is an annual event hosted by the St. Bernard Project. Approximately 250 women help rebuild 25 families’ homes over a two-week period.

TESC Helps St. Bernard Project

Tony Zaragoza (faculty advisor), and Evergreen State College students Betsy Hagen, Caitlin Meyer, Jackie Ferrado, and Cindy Meyer meet to discuss plans for the 2008-2009 academic year

Four Evergreen State College students are working on internship contracts during the 2008-2009 academic year to raise funds and recruit volunteers for St. Bernard Project - a non-profit working to rebuild homes in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana three years post-Katrina.

• For more information about St. Bernard Project, go to www.stbernardproject.org.
• For more information about our efforts, please contact us at helpstbernardproject@gmail.com

Here is a summary of what we're working on now:

Betsy is coordinating fundraising efforts for St. Bernard Project:

• She hosted a soup kitchen at her work on October 9, raising $315 for St. Bernard Project, and will also host a "Jeans for New Orleans" day at work with proceeds of $5 per person to benefit St. Bernard Project.


• She is coordinating a Holiday Tea on December 14 to raise funds for high school students to travel to St. Bernard Parish to help in the rebuilding efforts.


• She is coordinating a Dinner Auction on March 7, 2009 to raise funds for St. Bernard Project. Zack Rosenburg and Liz McCartney, co-founders of St. Bernard Project, will be the guests of honor at this event!

Caitlin is producing a video about St. Bernard Project to use during community awareness events.

Jackie is coordinating outreach efforts in the Olympia area to raise community awareness about the continued need for help in the New Orleans area three years post-Katrina.

Cindy is coordinating volunteer groups to travel to St. Bernard Parish to rebuild homes:

• She and a friend are traveling to New Orleans October 12-15 to take part in Women Rebuild Week.


• She is coordinating a group of high school students to travel to St. Bernard Parish in April 2009


• She is coordinating a volunteer work group to travel to St. Bernard Parish in May 2009

The State of St. Bernard Parish Post-Gustav

by Zack Rosenburg - Co-Founder of St. Bernard Project
Visit his blog at: http://www.sbpgustav.blogspot.com/

All, as I see it, St. Bernard Parish was nearly untouched. A few windows were broken, signs were torn down,. roofs may have leaked. But, the result we have is truly a best case scenario.
Which leads us to next steps:
St. Bernard Parish has escaped Gustav. 3 years later, we have not escaped Katrina. There is an incredible amount of work left to be done. Folks from around the world had the people of New Orleans and St. Bernard in their thoughts and, at the end of the day, we made it. Now, it is time to translate the energy from the thoughts, worries and prayers into action.
We can't all come to St. Bernard, but some of us can. We can't all donate, but some can. And there is one thing that we can all do - spread the truth about both the problems (1,800 families still living in FEMA trailers in SBP alone) and the solutions (SBP's rebuilding and Mental Health Model). We have learned that people want to be part of the solution, but they can only help if they know the truth. So pls spread the word.
We can breathe easy because we made it. I just ask that we don't lose sight of the fact that we have not escaped Katrina yet.

-Zack