Lutes leave homes to renovate others struck by Katrina

Students go to New Orleans to make a difference

Mike Engh - enghmw@plu.edu

mast news reporter

Many students used the week off from classes during spring break to rest and relax. But for a group of PLU students and staff, the week was spent working, learning and praying in New Orleans, La. as part of the Campus Ministry Alternative Spring Break.

The crew of 15 students and three staff members worked in several homes that were severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina, which blew through the Gulf Coast region more than 2 and 1/2 years ago. The group also took several tours of the city, where they were able to see places like the famous French Quarter as well as the Lower 9th Ward, the neighborhood that was most damaged by the hurricane. They also spoke with local residents and listened to personal stories about the hurricane and its effect on the city.

“It’s great to be able to show the people of New Orleans that they are still cared about, that they haven’t been forgotten,” wrote first-year Krista Sparks on the Alternative Spring Break blog on the Campus Ministry Web site during the trip.

Two of the houses that the group worked on only required finishing touches after months of reconstruction work by other volunteer efforts. This work included interior and exterior painting and drywall construction. However, one house required a complete gutting and clearing of the interior of the house. Students said they were amazed that some houses seemed to have not been touched since Hurricane Katrina.

“It was amazing to see that there were houses where no work had been done,” junior Annie Prevost said. “Looking at the poor condition of the house, it looked like only a couple of months had passed since the hurricane, not two years.”

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church provided the group with lodging during their time in New Orleans. The church building suffered heavy damages in the hurricane, but the renovated church building now includes an additional wing that is specially designed to house volunteers who are working on reconstruction projects around the city. The congregation shared their first service in the renovated building on Easter of 2007, only 20 months after the hurricane.

“New Orleans suffered terrible destruction and it seemed as if the city might die,” wrote junior Allison Cambronne on the Campus Ministry Web site. “But today, as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, we also celebrate new life that continues to return to New Orleans and know that there is hope in the resurrection.”

Through several fundraising projects, the PLU volunteers were able to present the church with $1,000 to help rebuild the church’s organ and to fund programs for housing future volunteers. These fundraising efforts were partly why Campus Ministry only offered one Alternative Spring Break opportunity instead of sending out several teams to different locations with different projects as had been done in the past.

“We didn’t want to spread ourselves too thin with resources,” said Campus Ministry coordinator and group leader Elise Erickson. “This seemed to be the best way for the students to get as much out of it as possible.”

The group’s volunteer activities were organized through Lutheran Disaster Response, a New Orleans-based relief agency that was one of the first volunteer organizations to begin providing aid to the city after the hurricane struck. Lutheran Disaster Response has provided volunteer opportunities in New Orleans to many similar groups, many of which have no Lutheran affiliation.

To read the Alternative Spring Break blog, go to http://www.plunola.blogspot.com/

Photos courtesy of Campus Ministr

Top: Junior Kate Burdekin and sophomore Kelly Ryan worked and bonded during the trip.

Bottom: Music and worship coordinator Elise Erickson primes a wall Wednesday, March 26 in New Orleans, La. Erickson was one of three Campus Ministry staff present.