Michigan Journal

Issue date: 3/20/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy United Way Six UM-D students traveled to Lake Charles last week to help rebuild Hurricane Rita-ravaged southwest Louisiana. During the eight-day trip, the students helped to rebuild homes and lives.

Last week, while most UM-D students were holed up in classrooms going about their daily business, six students were doing the extraordinary. Traveling to Lake Charles, Louisiana, the group attended Alternative Spring Break 2007 to help rebuild the homes, lives and psyches of the victims of Hurricane Rita.

Kawthar Ali, Natalie Brookins, Adam Harris, Terry Kowalczyk, Kristen Lewis and Ryan Schreiber - along with Student Activities Program Coordinator Randy Dillard - all participated. Sponsored by the United Way, FedEx, EB Games and GameStop, the week-long service project was covered by national and local media outlets and will even be the focus of an MTV show in the coming days.

The participants, now back and recovering from their hard work, took some time to share their thoughts and experiences. Their hope is for other students to join them or begin their own community service projects to help those in need.



Kristen Lewis

Sitting here in the Mardigian Library computer lab feels odd and out of place for me, only because I spent the last week in southwest Louisiana, partnered with the United Way, helping to rebuild houses and lives that were affected by Hurricane Rita in September 2005.

My week in Louisiana was filled with laughter, fun and a sense of fulfillment that I had never experienced before. It started on March 11, when we took a tour through the community of Cameron Parish, one of the areas hit hardest by Rita. The magnitude of the damage was never clear to me until I personally saw the couches, refrigerators, houses, roofs and other miscellaneous items that were still - after almost two years - scattered along the roadside and dropped haphazardly in the bayou. The tour set the standard of hard work that needed to be done for the next week.

I had the pleasure of working with my other team members, along with our team leaders, on two different houses during this past week. We finished remodeling a house that the previous week's group had started for an elderly, mentally-handicapped man by the name of "OD" and we also started demolition and the installation of dry walling in another house that had been occupied by four-generations of a family before it was damaged by a fire.

We laid the foundation for the next two groups that will come in and finish the job. While our work on both houses was exciting, it was when the woman called us her "angels" and the smile on OD's face that made us realize the amazing job that we were doing.

The damage that I witnessed, the events that I experienced and the people that I met and became close to will serve as a lasting reminder of the good that was accomplished in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and I will always be grateful for the life I have and the experience of the trip.



Natalie Brookins

I just returned from the best spring break trip I've ever taken. I now have couches in 11 different states that I could crash on if I were ever in the area, thanks to the awesome people I meet last week.

I have a tan, I learned how to handle an airport alone and, oh yeah, I helped rebuild southwest Louisiana.

ASB opened my eyes to how badly the people in Calcasieu Parish still need help. It has been more than a year since Hurricane Rita destroyed homes and changed lives, yet people are still living in FEMA trailers, or - if they were lucky enough to still have a home when the storm ended - many are living under "blue roofs" that were meant to be used as a temporary fix.

While down in Lake Charles, I was assigned to the Dog group and the Dogs were assigned to work at camp We-Ta-Wentin. I was disappointed that our team was not going to go out and build houses as some other teams were, but as I learned about the camp, I felt great about what the Dogs were doing to help. The camp is a summer camp for underprivileged kids and kids in foster care who would be unlikely to get the summer camp experience if not for We-Ta-Wentin. The camp teaches the kids about nature and about the local plant and animal life and how to preserve it.

Many of the cabins were destroyed when Rita hit and practically all the picnic tables were gone.  My team built four new picnic tables, painted a bathroom from top to bottom, painted the Dogwood lodge inside and out, painted the outside of five cabins in Dogwood (another team painted the inside) and built and painted steps to be used as fire escapes on the Dogwood cabins. I made a difference in kids' lives, and all of us who took time out to go on ASB made a difference in someone's life. This was just the second year that United Way has hosted this event. I plan on returning next year if at all possible.



Kawthar Ali

ASB 2007 in Lake Charles was the experience of a lifetime. I have been trying to find ways to express my feelings about the trip since day one. No words can ever explain how I felt when I saw the devastation caused by Hurricane Rita or when I began rebuilding. I was getting choked up and ready to cry every single day, but I felt like I needed to be strong for the victims. I was ready to make a change in the community.

I met my team members on the second day of the trip. We were assigned to work on a Habitat for Humanity home in Lake Charles. We worked on putting large wooden blocks, plastic wrap and insulation all around the house. My favorite part of this project was when Vince, the site supervisor, taught me how to use a power saw. I was in charge of making the outline of the windows and using the saw to cut them. It took a lot of time and precision, but according to Vince, I did a great job. On the last day, we were able to build the frame of the roof. This was a hard task but with teamwork and good communication, we were able to get it done. Marla, the house owner, was appreciative and happy with our progress. We presented her with a welcome mat and a picture of the team for her new home.

My experience opened my eyes to many things. I realized what I wanted to do with my life - give service to others on a full-time basis. The people taught me to become a positive person and be strong. I am thankful for the friends I made and the individuals I met because they gave me hope. We shared tears, laughter and memories. I feel like a new person, eager to continue my service because of this experience. I thank United Way of Southeastern Michigan for giving me this opportunity. To Adam, Terry, Kristen, Natalie, Ryan and Randy - thank you. Go forth and spread the light.



Adam Harris

Wow, what a great experience. Alternative Spring Break 2007 was an experience that I will never forget. From the first day in Louisiana, we experienced a life parallel to that of a celebrity. As we arrived at the Volunteer Housing Center in Lake Charles, we were greeted by media from MTV, United Way of America and local news stations. The event hosted close to 150 students from all over the country that applied for ASB before the winter break. As each group arrived, they received a tour of the Housing Center that used to be a middle school.

During the week, we took a tour of the cities that were hit very hard by Hurricane Rita. As we drove for miles, we saw land underneath water, houses floating in the water and debris still remaining from Rita. It was extremely eye-opening because the state of Louisiana still needs a lot of help and attention.

Also, during our stay, we got a chance to meet some of the individuals directly affected by the hurricane. Two ladies from the local area shared their story the second day of ASB. They told us that they were in college ready to graduate when Rita hit. When they came back to their homes, they had nothing left to salvage or value except their families and education.

There were approximately 15 teams that worked on different projects. I worked with a group called Om Core that helped restore a lady's home from the hurricane. The project included insulating the walls, putting up sheet rock, destructing termite damaged walls and tearing out the rotten floor to install a new floor. During the week my group worked very consistently on the project and in the process created a personal relationship with the home owner and her two sons. It was very hard to leave, but our job was done and the experience was phenomenal. Much thanks to United Way.



Terry Kowalczyk

The hammer in my hand is sweet and heavy and it swings like something clumsy, but familiar. I am in Louisiana, in the house of Miss Vera, standing on a chair and the air is thick with humidity, mold and the smell of the maroon paint just applied to the living room wall, drops of it staining the floor. We aren't what you would call "skilled labor" - just "labor" will do, thank you. Our group is spread through the house, some sleeping on the couch, drool seeping over their cheeks, some in the back smoking, others feeding the resident dogs, Jeffery and Doritos. The iPod on the kitchen counter is a necessity and spills out ghetto booty music with too much bass to keep us going. Our box of junk food is slowly dwindling, but the afternoon is young and there is a second coat of paint to apply.

Our group is a thrown-together conglomerate of weirdos, about a baker's dozen all together. Most of us have come to Louisiana to help, not sure of what that entails. Every day we wake up, drink weak coffee, eat hard biscuits and round egg patties before piling into our van and driving to our site to begin the "restoration effort" (to use a motivational term). We announce our arrival by stamping up the steps and then proceed to mill about, trying to take initiative. We dig through our pile of tools and supplies, assisting people who have already begun tasks and try to be as productive as possible. "Is this how you do crown molding?" someone in the other room asks me. I say yes, I think so, because people love to hear positive reinforcement.

By the end of the day, we are tired and dirty and sore. We have made a bit of a mess: I accidentally spilled paint on Miss Vera's couch and the crown molding came out a little less than perfect. However, when we get back to the volunteer center, there will be a luke-warm shower and nothing wonderful for dinner, I'm sure. Yet, here we are - a little clueless and happy, full of laughter and a genuine sense of "team," because a day of good intentions and hard work is the sweetest life can be.

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