NCC Students Get to Work in New Orleans

By Elizabeth Saville
March 16, 2010

A group of students, faculty and staff have decided to spend their spring break in New Orleans, helping out in the Lower Ninth Ward. They'll be painting, cleaning, and doing mold remediation to benefit those hit hardest from Hurricane Katrina.

Here are some reflections from Elizabeth Saville, a social work major who also works at Country Meadows, a continuing care community for seniors, who went on last year's trip. She decided to return this spring break because she felt "as though my work wasn't finished."

Monday, March 15, was our first day helping the residents of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans and wow, what a day!

Being awake and on the road by 7 a.m. is not most people's idea of a "spring break."  But for me, I wouldn't have it any other way.  As I got into the car to head off for our first day of work, all of the memories from my 2009 spring break trip with Northampton Community College came flooding back.  My mind was racing with thoughts of, what jobs would we be doing?  What area will we be working in?

When we drove deeper into the Lower Ninth Ward, I sadly realized that not much had changed in the year we had been gone.  Some homes that were destroyed to just dirt or a cement slab now had cars parked in front of them with families living in them again.  However for many, there is still tons of work that needs to be done.

The idea of families waiting over five years to rebuild and return to their homes isn't something everyone can wrap their head around.  But these people refuse to leave the places where their homes once stood.  For them, Louisiana, New Orleans and the Lower Ninth Ward are more than just where they lived.  Their heart and souls are built into this city.  These people truly live by the saying "home is where the heart is."

When we arrived at our destination, we were placed into two smaller groups.  While the other group worked on the backyard, my group went to work on the house that had been gutted and was in the process of being rebuilt.  Our first task was to remove the old paint that was left on the outside shingles.  We were given tools to help remove the paint, but it took all of our arm muscles to get off the layers of paint and even wood off the sides of the house.

Our lunch breaks are from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and they are always a great time for our NCC group to reconnect.  Our lunches are delivered via truck and we always get peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  But this year, we had a wonderful surprise.  We got Fluff!  The "kikki sandwich" is peanut butter, jelly and fluff on white bread and it is delicious!  While munching on these sandwiches, we are able to reflect on what we have seen thus far and discuss our hopes for the afternoon.

My group's goal was to paint one side of the house by the end of the work day.  We worked hard as a team and got the job done.  It is a wonderful feeling to be able to look around and see everyone's hard work pay off.  It made me feel as if I was on top of the world.

Tomorrow will be another full work day, and we have no idea what is in store for us.  I hope we will be working on the same house because there is still so much to be done.  Before heading to work tomorrow, we will be taking a tour of the Lower Ninth Ward.  I'm hoping the tour will be a positive experience.  I hope to see rebuilt homes and businesses.

If you missed Saville's first blog installment, click here.

Check back throughout the week to learn more about the NCC students' time in New Orleans.