…I just wanted to say thanks for everything on the trip. You and Ray definitely made the trip for me and showed me a side of New Orleans that I don’t think I could have seen on my own.
You guys also put a lot of things into perspective for me especially in terms of how important it is to help out others in need. I also realized how important it is to be open to everybody and not judge anybody without getting to know them.
Thank you so much for everything again and hopefully I’ll see you guys again soon.
I don’t think that I’ll be able to make it down again this summer but perhaps over my winter break I can take a week and head down.
Thanks again,
Jake Gafner
Associated Press – November 12, 2008 4:53 PM ET
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A coalition of civil rights attorneys has filed a federal lawsuit claiming racial discrimination by a $10.3 billion Hurricane Katrina recovery program that was designed to help victims rebuild their storm-damaged homes.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday seeks class-action status and claims the Louisiana Road Home program used a formula that diminished awards for as many as 20,000 African-American homeowners. The attorneys say the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Louisiana Recovery Authority used fair market estimates of storm damage, instead of actual rebuilding cost, which led to lessened awards for black applicants.
Spokesmen for HUD and the Louisiana Recovery Authority did not immediately return requests for comment.
http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=9337173
Hi,
I coordinated a Seattle group that just got back from New Orleans last week. Before going I researched about 12 different organizations in New Orleans and decided that Katrina Corps best fit the needs of our volunteers. We really appreciated the hospitality of the Katrina Corps coordinators. They were willing to drive us anywhere we needed to go and made sure we had amazing cultural excursions while we were in New Orleans.
Our first-hand experiences definitely had a big impact on all of us. We blogged our trip on our Seattle Works website. One of our volunteers did a radio broadcast from with a local radio station while in New Orleans and also got a local newspaper to publish a story on our trip. King Five News (a Seattle news station) wrote a blog about our trip on their website. We are having a re-orientation with the group to talk more about our experiences and how we’ve passed on what we have learned to others.
…The trip was an experience of a lifetime and I wish everyone could experience it first-hand. The issues in New Orleans are so complex… there are no quick fixes. It’s just going to take a lot of hard work and caring people in order to restore the community. Once people experience New Orleans and fall in love with the city it’s hard to turn away from what has/ is happening there.
Thank you Katrina Corps for opening our eyes!,
Tara
Tara, Volunteer Coordinator
Dear Ray
It was SO nice to meet you all and spend time together in New Orleans.
The experience helped me to understand how American government did nothing and so people relied on volunteer power.
I reported this experience to the program officer of the Department of State and also to the American consulate when I returned home.
Thank you for your presents. It reminds us of "Mardi gras".
I hope you'll continue wonderful work.
Please give my best regards to all the members of Katrina Corps.
Miho
The 2 hour season finale aired this Sunday!
Thank you so much to everyone who participated…their time, energy, and
products for this doozie of an episode. It was the most massive effort
ever and it was just amazing the group that came together to pull it all off.
The house and the church both turned out so, so great. The families and
members of the church will benefit from your contributions hopefully for
many generations.
Learn more here: http://www.extremeneworleans.com/
If you catch the episode, look for KC volunteers in the blue shirts!
Dear Eric and Katrina Corps staff,
I am a preschool director who recently had one week off in June prior to the start of our summer program. Since my life tends to be very hectic as a single mom with a full-time career, I often look for places to go on my vacation that are relaxing so I can de-stress from the school year. However, having had a year filled with much drama, I decided to look for something different as I felt the need to bring some perspective back into my life and I thought volunteering might be the way to do this. I came across your organization through volunteermatch.com and decided the opportunity that was presented to help schools in New Orleans get ready for returning students was particularly interesting to me and would allow me to give back to the educational community. The age range of volunteers also allowed me to bring my teenage son along as well and offered him the opportunity to connect with people outside of his life in San Francisco and put in some community service hours for high school credits.
Continue reading →
My First Time to New Orleans
I know it sounds cliché, but the smells and sounds are what I remember most. There is so much about New Orleans that, from a glance, I did not like: the drinking, the partying, the smoking, the strip bars. But somehow things that mattered more to me showed themselves: Jazz clubs, Art, Tattoos, Southern drawls, Humid sticky, sweatiness, Kind folk, Volunteers, Genuine Hearts, Southern cuisine, Music, and more music. A Groove that was contagious.
Continue reading →
I was the church member that Tim referred to in his blog [earlier]. Thanks
again, Tim, for answering the call!
I found volunteering with Katrina Corps a very “doable” andincredibly moving experience. Katrina Corps formed in December 2006 with a main purpose to help open more classrooms in the crowded, post-Katrina New Orleans public schools. Continue reading →
Oh, my God, I have spent all week thinking about New Orleans and Katrina Corps. You are an amazing organization and I am so happy that I came down and worked with you.
All of the volunteer staff were terrific. They were patient, kind and informative. And all very professional. I would write any of them a reference, as I had nothing but good experiences with all of them. Continue reading →
