Christmas Just About Here

Check out this photo to the right. I had it under Pic of the Day the past few days, but I couldn't get it to post at the right size (and I think I'm still having that problem over there). I had to post it here, though, so that you could see it better. It's a FEMA Trailer decorated for Christmas. I spotted it in one of the neighborhoods in St. Bernard after leaving a house the other day. Whoever lives there, props for making the best of a "not so great" situation, and staying in the spirit of things.

I'm writing this post as I pack and do a few other things to get ready for my trip to Connecticut for the holiday. I'm finding more and more that I'm squeezing two and three things in at once. Not complaining, that just seems to be reality these days. I love to write, but I definitely don't have as much time for it. Starting and running St. Bernard Recovery Corp. dominates most of my time and energy (Erin, friends and family can probably attest to me being consumed by this in a borderline annoying way). It's interesting how earlier in the year I was so much more into writing, to the point where I was buying and reading books on non-fiction writing, how to write better, I bought and re-read some of my favorite books from college writing classes. I was really into it, believing that writing almost every day about my experiences here was my calling. But things have changed, and I've adjusted. I was busy a lot and working and volunteering, getting my hands in on lots of different things, especially when I was really engaged helping out at Camp Hope. I always found time to write, though. Now, not so much. I think my calling now is more about doing than writing. I'm good with that, as I think that is what is meant to be.

Here's another photo to check out. I took this this morning at a school that houses volunteers most weeks. An outfit called the Gathering, which is faith-based, takes in 20 to 30 volunteers who come in from out of state, houses them in this school and puts them to work at different houses. One of the Gathering's team leads, Aaron, calls me when he needs to find some extra work. I had a couple of houses for them to go to this week. I'd go to this school, which is completely gutted, to meet them as they eat breakfast and get ready to head out to the houses. Seeing scenes like this kind of remind of my Camp Hope days, which was also a 'gutted out' school. 28 months later (sounds like a movie title) and I still see things that make me think it's just a few weeks after Katrina hit.

Had a pretty big scare this morning, by the way. I'm flying Southwest up to Hartford tomorrow, a 6:30 a.m. flight. Southwest has that first come, first serve boarding process so it's imperative to check in online as soon as possible once your flight is 24 hours away. I set my alarm for 6:20 a.m. so that I could get up, turn my laptop on, and be ready to click "Check-In" right at 6:30 and get my 'A' Boarding pass. Well, I got up at 6:20 no problem, only after powering on my laptop, I laid back down on my bed, thinking I'd just rest there for a minute while it warmed up. Next thing I know, I'm waking up, in a fog, wiping my eyes, everything black, and it's 7:35 a.m.! "Jesus", I screamed, "just great!". Miraculously, I still got an A for both legs of my flight, even my first one at 6:30. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

SBRC Holiday Party A Big Success

We (St. Bernard Recovery Corp.) had our Holiday Party last Wednesday, December 12. Over 25 families from St. Bernard Parish, 100+ people in all, came out for a night of great food, Santa Claus, Christmas Music, gifts, raffle prizes and so much more. We had our challenges, as the chef that we recruited to come down from New York and cook (volunteering his time) got sick on Tuesday and was out of commission. Thankfully, Erin's mom, who had come down from New York for the party, was there to save the day. With help from a few others, particularly Santa, Rita led the cooking and we had tray fulls of great food to serve. Turkey, spiral ham, pasta, salad, yams and sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce filled up everyone's plate.

The party was a big success, a full three hours of smiling, laughing, lots of picture taking and hopefully a few memories. And every family and child left with a gift. My dad came from Florida, along with two friends, and some other volunteers I've gotten to know this year attended as well. Hopefully some of the pictures below tell a good story.

AJ Rumblings

I had a chance to take part in something pretty fun and special at Andrew Jackson Elementary last week. The school asked me to sit on a committee with three other teachers and interview candidates for Student of the Year. The students were all fifth graders. The interview portion is just one part of the selection process. Grades, extracurricular activities and a writing sample also are factored in. But I’m pretty sure that the sit down with us was probably the toughest part for the kids. Not by our doing. We, of course, asked a handful of straightforward questions, using the same ones for all 40 kids, and tried to make it as light an atmosphere for them as possible, talking them through the process. Still, and understandably so, most were pretty nervous. They’re 10 years old, I could only imagine how I might have been at that age. I’m sure the same. We had a couple of hams who loved it and went on and on, but just a couple. They were definitely all very cute. Not being a dad yet, this was a very new kind of day for me. I’ve spent a lot of time at that school this year, and have been around the kids a lot, but never for seven hours straight (that’s how long it took to get through all 40 interviews) in one room and under those circumstances. A handful of them, maybe a third, brought up Katrina or something related to it. And some made mention of their living situation, if they’re still in a FEMA trailer or if they have some sort of unusual set up, like other family or friends staying with them out of need. These kids down here really are amazing, given all they’ve had to deal with, go through, soak in and adjust to. I was lucky, I got to talk to and listen to 40 of them in one day. It was special.

Speaking of Andrew Jackson, they also invited me to the Faculty Christmas Party this past Saturday night. It was at the home of one of the teachers. I went, and it was nice to see all of them able to have fun and let loose a bit outside of the school environment. I’ve been observing them a good part of this year in pretty difficult, often stressful, crowded situations (AJ still has over 1,500 students), and it’s not easy, what they have to deal with. Seeing them all able to dance, karaoke, joke, laugh, play games (led by the principal, no less) and sing was enough to put a big smile on my face. They didn’t think I was having a good time, but I was.
The husband of one of the teacher’s couldn’t get enough talking to me after hearing what I’m doing. I hate bringing these kinds of things up, as it sounds like self-boasting, but I feel like I should simply because I want to point out how appreciative and grateful so many people here are. He must have thanked me 20 times and told me how it was because of the help of people like me that St. Bernard is coming back. There was one thing in particular he said to me that I will spare this space from, but I believe him, and I believe it all makes a difference. There was just something about being at a holiday party, with all that good spirit, and hearing some of those things that made it a really nice night. That, and seeing the teachers act silly like some of the very children they teach.

The more I read of and saw Brad Pitt and his Make It Right project last week, the more impressed I was. The guy just gets it. It’s one thing for a volunteer or someone who has been here awhile to feel and talk the way he has, but for someone with his life and schedule and distractions, to really get it the way he does, just blows me away. His presence and project here are nothing but a huge positive for this area. If you haven’t already, make it a point to visit www.makeitrightnola.org

Pitt Making a Difference

My drive from New Orleans into St. Bernard Parish just got a lot more scenic.

Every day I drive over the North Claiborne St. Bridge and through the Lower Ninth to get to St. Bernard. Now, as I pass over the Industrial Canal and look to my left down at the battered neighborhood, I see dozens of big structures draped in pink scattered across several blocks. They’re here because of Brad Pitt, and his “Make It Right” project.

I actually think this is very good thing, and certainly big news. New Orleans needs attention, and it needs support. Pitt’s project brings both. He has expressed a connection to this city for many years now, has expressed a desire to help it since Hurricane Katrina, and he certainly put his money and action where his mouth is, putting up $5 million of his own money to fund almost 50% of a project that aspires to build 150 eco-friendly homes. And he’s done so the right way, including residents in planning meetings and aligning himself with the right kind of people who can make this project a success. In other words, there are no politicians involved and no public officials. People who know what they’re doing are leading it. (For much more detail on the project, see the links below to a pair of stories that have run in The Times-Picayune the past two days). I think it’s great, I commend the guy, and it’s awesome that someone with so much star power is using it for the right reasons. For example, check out Larry King Live on Wednesday night, 9 p.m. EST, on CNN. Pitt sits down with King for an interview right in the neighborhood.

My only qualm with “Make It Right” and what Pitt is doing is that it really needs to expand beyond the Ninth Ward. I’ve said it before on this site and I’ll say it again, yes, these neighborhoods need help and assistance in their recovery, but so too do many other areas, including St. Bernard Parish. The Lower Ninth borders St. Bernard Parish, they are neighbors, and right down the road from Pitt’s big pink blocks are neighborhoods full of hard working people in need of the same help. But they don’t get it because the Lower Ninth is what everyone knows and sees on TV, and in the media. That is not right. That needs to be fixed. I want to fix it. I’m not Brad Pitt, though. He put up $5million. I’ve put up quite a bit of my own money in my time here, but it’s a fraction. People and organizations and foundations will flock to support his project, no doubt (and that’s not a bad thing). But don’t forget everything else.

I’ve emailed Make It Right. I plan on emailing them again and again. I plan on calling. I was over there today, in these neighborhoods, looking to see if there was anyone involved with the project that I could talk to. I couldn’t find anyone. But I’ll be back there. The St. Bernard Recovery Corp. and what we do would be a terrific partner and natural fit for a project like Make It Right. They get people into new homes, and then we help them get furniture and other essentials.

Pitt’s heart and head are in the right place, and I applaud that. I also applaud how he’s going about the project (again, see articles below for details). I just hope that my sightings of these scenic pink block structures don’t end when I get off the Industrial Canal Bridge. I’d love to see them as I drive into St. Bernard Parish as well.

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-9/119666393579390.xml&coll=1

http://blog.nola.com/updates/2007/12/pitt_unveils_program_to_rebuil.html

Ms. Helen

I went by to see Helen today. She just moved into a two-family house after spending two weeks in a hotel (not a nice hotel, either). She had to move out of her temporary home due to mold. FEMA was paying for the hotel, and is going to take care of the rent on her new place for the next several months, maybe more.

Helen's problem now is stuff, or lack thereof. She's sleeping on an air mattress, on the floor, in the living room. She's got an artificial knee, and to avoid having to go up and down the stairs for now, she's going to stay downstairs.

I'm going to get her a mattress and box spring next week -- unfortunately I can't get it before Wednesday. But that'll be a help. She needs a fridge, though, too. Her insulin was sitting in a bag on the floor.

Helen had a house before the storm, and lots of things. Now she doesn't, and she's bouncing around. That's really all I have to say or think about right now. People like Helen are why I'm here.

New Type of Day

No question this has been a year of change for me, and Thanksgiving week was no different. The past couple of years, on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I was working in an office, with great people but with unfulfilling duties, and would leave work by early afternoon, race to the gym for a quick workout, run home to shower, and then head to a restaurant in Phoenix that was (and probably still is) the “hot spot” in the valley of the sun for the night before Thanksgiving. It was definitely a good time, hanging out with friends – and a few hundred strangers. In fact, one of my favorite pictures from my time living in Arizona came at this joint Thanksgiving week of 2004. It’s me surrounded by about 8 female friends, all of us grinning ear to ear, having a blast. There was nothing wrong with those days, and I’d do them all over again if that’s where I was. But I’m not there anymore, literally or figuratively.

Last Wednesday, the day before Turkey Day, I started out at 8 a.m., meeting up with a Church Group from Colorado Springs, CO, and putting them to work at a couple of houses of families I’m working with. They did painting and caulking at one, and debris removal and clean up in and outside of the house at another. After getting them to the home sites, I picked up a UHaul rental, went downtown to the Holiday Inn, got 12 more beds, came back to St. Bernard Parish and delivered those to people in about eight different stops. Next, I went over to the warehouse where I store things to pick up a sofa, loveseat, coffee table, kitchen table and another bed, and delivered those – all with the help of three young guys from the Colorado Springs group.

Finally, I went by Winn Dixie and picked up a $50 gift card for a woman I’m helping who is living in a hotel paid for by FEMA until her apartment is ready. Her trailer had mold so her and her granddaughter had to move out. They’ve been in the hotel for a couple of weeks now, and needed some help getting food. I finally got around to returning the UHaul at about 6:20 p.m. By the time I got finished showering at my gym and picked up some food at the store for my dinner, it was 7:30. All I wanted to do at this point was go home and kick back.

I don’t know, sitting at home that night, I couldn’t help but get caught up in the irony. This probably sounds like I’m boasting about what I did that day. It’s not. It definitely was pretty exhausting, and not all my days are that productive and physical. A lot of my time now is spent making and receiving calls, making visits to families, trying to come up with ways to garner outside support. Last Wednesday was a really productive day, though. And it was also just ironic. Here I am, so far removed from where I’ve been the past few falls, helping people who were complete strangers in January of this year, just one and two and three years removed from being all concerned about what shirt I’d wear to the Scottsdale hot spots. I can’t say I don’t like doing that still, or wouldn’t like doing that. I do, and I would. But it’s not a priority anymore, and it’s not where I belong, at least not now.

Last Wednesday was a bit tiring, but it definitely was what I was meant to be doing.

NOTE: the picture in the top right was taken on Thanksgiving at the Community Center of St. Bernard. I had dinner there that afternoon. There were about 50 volunteers from James Madison Univ. in Virginia on hand to cook and serve the dinner. Posted this one as I accidentally deleted the pics I had taken from Wednesday, delivering some beds. It was the first time all year that I lost pics from a particular day.

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS: There is nothing more stressful and dreadful for me these days than to do anything related to my personal finances. Looking at bank statements, going online to bank, calling Bank of America or Fidelity – just downright painful. This is what happens when bi-weekly paychecks in the thousands are no longer a part of one’s life. Ugh. But, I cope. Anyway, last week I had to put in one of those dreaded calls to Fidelity. Their customer service reps usually aren’t too bad, but this one guy I had that particular morning for once made me feel really good by the time I had hung up the phone. Curious about what I was doing in New Orleans, I explained, and he just couldn’t be nicer and more complimentary. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, I get a bit uneasy with the kudos stuff. I really do want my time here to be about the people and families I’m helping, and not so much me. But I think I really appreciated this guy’s comments because he’s someone who represents one of those big, powerful money machines, a corporation that’s all about bottom line in a world that’s too bottom-line oriented. He basically just said that it was refreshing to know that there are things like this going on out there. Maybe I won’t get any more reps or comments like that, but for one morning and for one phone call – a call I normally dread – this guy helped me feel pretty good about things.

It seems like I’m going into more and more stores that have signs saying “Pull Up Your Pants”, or risk not being served. Yes, things have changed, and not just what I do on the day before Thanksgiving.

I got a call today (Monday) from a couple of administrators over at Andrew Jackson Elementary School. They’ve asked me to be on a committee that helps choose the Students of the Year from the different grade levels. I think by now most who know me know I love that school, and this has to be one of the most rewarding things yet for me – just the fact that they thought of me to do this. Am I choosing the next President of the United States? No. The next CEO of Citigroup? Not quite. But I’m pretty psyched about this. I’m always thrilled to help out at AJ, so on December 5^th I’ll be interviewing a few dozen candidates. Those are interviews I’ll definitely have a smile on for.

Presidential Debate NOT Coming to New Orleans -- A Shame

New Orleans received some bad news Monday when the commission that organizes the Presidential Debates for the upcoming election did not choose it as a host site for one of the scheduled debates in 2008.

Sponsors of the the effort to bring a debate to New Orleans next year were extremely frustrated and disappointed, and I think rightfully so, particularly when the reasoning is considered. I used to reference or throw up the link to more "news-type" stories on here, but have gotten away from that the past few months as most of it is negative and doesn't really help my or anyone else's main focus, which is to just help people keep moving forward in their recovery. I think that this story is worth noting, however. The Editorial that ran in the Tuesday, November 20 edition of The Times-Picayune puts things in proper context:

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1195570203231660.xml&coll=1

"Yes, Scott". "You know, Scott".

“Yes, Scott. You know, Scott. You know what I mean, Scott. I’m telling you, Scott.”

I wish I could play a tape recording of the conversations I have with some of the residents I work with. For something that probably shouldn’t seem so unusual or in the least bit odd, I can’t seem to shake the fact that I’m intrigued by how many of them always use my name in conversation. Scott seems to be included at the end of just about every sentence. “Yes, Scott”. You know what I mean, Scott”. I don’t recall hearing my name so often in other places, or from other people, be it co-workers, or friends, or even family back home.

I’ve actually noticed this for awhile, and probably have waited to see if it’s unique to a select few residents, or was just a short term trend. But it’s not. In calling a couple of the residents I work with today, I got all of the above ‘Scott punctuated’ comments, and then some. I’m to the point now where I sit on my end of the phone smiling about it.

This probably makes no sense reading it. That’s why I wish I could play a recorded conversation. They’re priceless.

Speaking of conversations, one of the residents I spoke with today, Paula Balbon, was pretty upset. I just called to check in, say hello, see how things were going (I last saw her at the Distribution I had last Saturday), and Paula informed me how her husband Mike (a great guy, they’re both great people really; extremely happy and personable; see pic, top right) has been called off for a 7-month stint in California with the National Guard. Mike, 43, is a career military man who was in the army for years and has been in the Guard now for the last several. They didn’t see this coming, and now boom, he’s gone, seven months, and very unlikely to have a leave.

That’s what he signed up for, so they have to expect things like this to happen, but it is sort of sad in that Paula and Mike were just about ready to move back into their home in Chalmette back here in St. Bernard. When I met them a few weeks ago, it was at the house. They’ve worked hard to fix it back up, and it looks great. It’s all ready to go as far as the rehab, and they just needed furniture and household stuff to fill it with. We (SBRC) are going to help them with that. Last week, they picked up a bed and some chairs from our distribution.

Now, Paula is left to fend for herself until next June. The timing on this one sure stinks.

I’ll tell you what, a friend asked me tonight, what keeps me going, how I cope with the mayhem and some of the stuff I must see and be exposed to here. The answer to that is simple, these people keep me going. All the crap they’ve had to deal with, including being separated from a significant other, for whatever reason (can’t tell you how many couples I’ve met where one is living in one place during the week due to a job and the other is somewhere else), and they just keep persevering. Paula had a trace of sadness in her voice, no doubt, but in between the “You know, Scott”, and “I’m telling you, Scott”, she had her strength. She’ll do what she needs to do. I just hope to help her some more. The motivation to do that – that’s how I cope.

Distro #1 A Success

This past Saturday, November 10, the St. Bernard Recovery Corporation held its first widespread distribution to help out some of the families in St. Bernard Parish. After gathering a couple of UHaul trucks worth of stuff, as well as combinations of other things picked up both locally and from afar, almost all of it donated, we were able to distribute an array of things to over 30 families. At least 100 people showed up, probably closer to 130 or so, including children.

Furniture, household goods, beds, linens, towels, sheets, blankets, clothes, shoes, toys and much more were all moved from storage to people who need them. The biggest hit were the beds. I was able to pick up about 30 beds from the Holiday Inn of downtown New Orleans, and with the financial struggles many people have as they move back into a home or apartment, they were very much in need. It worked out great, as I was able to get at least one bed to every family that SBRC has been working with to date. And I'll likely be getting more. We were also able to raffle off a 30" color TV.

The residents were grateful, and oh so patient as we worked our way through a very unscientific process to get them what they needed. In the end, it was a lot of work but very worth it. As one of the residents told me as we wound things down, "there will be a good number of people sleeping better that night than they did the night before". That's all I need to hear.

Exciting Few Days....

Most of the time when I write, be it for the blog or in the journal I keep, it's at night. I'm up late, and it's a good time for me to reflect back on stuff that occurred that day or in the prior days. When I wake up in the morning, I'm usually full of angst and anxiety about all the stuff I have to get done that day. Heck, even on a weekend day that I might have nothing to do I wake up with a lump in my throat, worried about what I'm going to get done that day. Not healthy, I know.

But today is a bit different. It's in the AM, I've been up for a bit but am still home, and I'm doing some writing now. I was just making some notes in my Journal, and thought I'd jump on here quick and post something. I don't even know how many people even look at this anymore. I'm sure a few family members, maybe an old co-worker or two. And that's fine. I totally understand. People are so busy, and I know what happens, for instance, when I get an email from a family member or friend -- what might be a big deal in their life, might be nice for me to hear but it's really not that huge a deal for me. Hence, I'm not going to spend a lot of time reading about it. And again, it's alright in my book if no one reads this blog. The main reasons I do this is because a.) it's therapeutic for me to write, and b.) I can save all of my blog postings, along with my journal, and I'll have a really nice record of my time in New Orleans. And if other people happen to be reading it, great. (Although, as an aside, I did start this blog for another reason, and that was to raise awareness about New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish. One of my biggest goals here, along with helping people, has been to keep what is going on here in the minds of other people all around the country, to talk up the reality that is the Gulf Coast devastation. Fortunately, I think I've done a pretty good job of that, and now with our non-profit up and running, and its web site -- www.thesbrc.org -- I believe that is continuing).

So why was I so excited to write in the morning today? Because it's just another great week. I feel like I have lots to look forward to over the next few days, and week, starting yesterday. It's been hectic, with my phone ringing off the hook from residents after my cell phone number ran in the local paper. But, while a bit stressful, it's absolutely a positive, as I've met some more amazing people. Take a look at the picture up at the top right. That's the Basco family: Jamie, husband Ernie, and their three children, ages, 6, 4 and 1. They're all in the same trailer, with Ernie's younger brother (that's 6 people in one FEMA Trailer) that's parked right in front of their home that's in the process of being rehabbed. Ernie does contracting work for a living and is doing all the work inside with the help of his brother. I walked through the house yesterday. The walls are done and now they're just painting. After they do the floors, they'll be read to move in, which they hope happens by the end of November. SBRC is going to help them get some stuff for the home.

I can't say enough how motivating and inspirational it is every time I meet a family like this to get out and bust my own butt to make SBRC a success, to garner and raise support, so that families like the Basco's can survive and thrive and have "normal living conditions". Right now, they do not, and it's not right. And they're trying. They didn't gripe one bit or say one negative thing, about the storm, about the government, about anything. Ernie just said it's been hard paying the mortgage on a house they don't yet live in, but he's happy they have the trailer roof over their heads. Good stuff, and these are exactly the sort of people I want to help.

Later today I'm meeting 23 Sr. Managers from AIG Insurance at the Ritz-Carlton downtown, and I'll be taking them into St. Bernard, to three different houses, to do some volunteer work. There's nothing I love more than marrying up people who haven't been here before with residents, and the realities of what is going on here. And not to invoke sympathy, but to inspire awareness and a desire to help. When people come here and see what's going on, how honest, decent, hard-working fellow citizens have to live, 9 times out of 10 it drives people to want to do more, to help, to spread the word, and so forth. Who knows, maybe AIG will make a donation to SBRC after today. Maybe they'll go back to New York and talk up the situation here with other people. Maybe some of them will just lay in bed a few nights over the next several months thinking about what they saw on November 7. Either way, it's all good, because none of that was happening before they came down.

Lastly, the fruits of some very recent labor will pay off on Saturday, when we hold SBRC's first major Distribution of goods. I've rounded up some people to help set up tomorrow (Thursday) for the event, at which we'll have all the furniture and goods that we gathered from New Hampshire, New York, Florida as well as a few other places. My roommate is going to come and help out and do some face-painting for the kids. One of the residents I'm helping is going to bring refreshments to hand out. We're going to raffle off one of the big TV's that my aunt's family donated to us. It should be a great day for the 25 or so families that I've invited. And it'll be a great day for me and the folks helping Erin and I get all of this stuff together, as we see people being able to pick up and take a few things that might make life a little easier, a little more normal.

I love times like this, and I'd probably love to keep writing about it, but I've probably done more than enough of that already (I'd be amazed if anyone other than myself even made it to this point). But I have to get going. I have plenty of stuff to do, and plenty of motivation to do it.

Pressed for time...

I haven’t had much time to write lately. At least it feels that way. Whereas I used to easily write three and four times a week, now I feel like I’m fortunate to sit down and do it once or twice a week. But it’s for very good reason. Things have really ramped up with SBRC. The piece that ran in the St. Bernard News last week and included my phone number made for a hectic few days. The paper came out last Wednesday, and even today I must have gotten five new calls from folks looking for help. I’ve done my best to keep up with who is calling and make return calls, but I’m still behind.

I do truly believe that the News running my phone number happened for a reason, though. As stressful as it was at times not being able to keep up with the phone, it’s definitely been worth it as I’ve met some wonderful people who have called me just in the past week, people I really want to help.

…This past Saturday morning was as good a Saturday as I’ve had down here in a long time (which is saying a lot considering that it is football season). I worked with 21 volunteers, 17 of whom were students from Colorado St. University, in getting them set up to volunteer for a few hours at three different homes in St. Bernard Parish. I did so much of that kind of thing while living and working at Camp Hope, but it had been a while. Saturday reminded me why I love doing that so much.

There is nothing like getting volunteers linked up with residents, with real life examples of what is going on here. They get to see first hand the conditions and hear up close and personal the stories that move just about all of us who come here. And for the residents, it remains as a therapeutic and gratifying encounter in which they can see just how much people from other part of the country really care. I’m upset with myself for not having my camera with me that morning, but one of the students is supposed to send me pictures. I hope to get them soon as I’d love to post them. The volunteers and residents had a great time Saturday morning, and in the process, some real work got done. Everyone comes out a winner when this happens.

Road Trip #2

Road Trip #2 for St. Bernard Recovery Corp. is in the books. This one was significantly shorter than the first, which is good considering I was solo for this one. I went to Jacksonville for some family time, but while there I rented a UHaul and loaded up all the stuff my dad has been collecting the past two months. My mom also gave me quite a few things from her closets as well as two really nice chairs. This was a much smaller load than the Northeast run, which had a lot of furniture, but it was still well worth the time and expense. It’s going to add a lot to our November 10 distribution. By the way, we’re going to need the additional goods.

Around 1 p.m. today, on I-10 in Alabama, my phone rang with New Orleans area number I didn’t recognize. It was a woman in St. Bernard Parish, telling me she saw my ad in the St. Bernard News about the beds and furniture we had to give away. “What ad?”, I thought. We didn’t run an ad. It turns out the St. Bernard News decided to take the press release Erin and I sent them about the bed we delivered to a couple here in the Parish a few weeks back (we did this in the hopes that a picture and caption would run and we’d have a news clipping to show potential donors that we’re serious about what we’re doing and getting things done) and ran it as a full-fledged news article, on the front page! And, they printed my cell phone number at the end, saying to call me for more info.

I did get a kick out of this, and a big smile. All I could think was that this had to happen for a reason. We’ll get some pub, we’ll raise awareness about SBRC, and I’ll probably meet a few more terrific people and families to help out. Of course, my phone rang off the hook the rest of the day. I have to be careful. The last thing I want to do is get people’s hopes up and let people down. But back to that theme of this happening for a reason, I think this is going to fire me up even more when it comes to fundraising.

Priceless

I got a hug today. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but they’re pretty priceless here. Not priceless in the sense that they’re rare. They’re not rare – I’ve been hugged by more guys since I’ve been down here than I had been in my entire life. I mean priceless from the standpoint of how meaningful they are.

My brother sent me a $25 American Express gift certificate not very long ago, telling me to give it to someone who I felt really could use it. Those things are as good as cash, and can be used just about anywhere. I’ve been talking regularly to one of the residents I’m working with, Ann Robin. Ann’s going through a hard time. She works at Andrew Jackson Elementary, as an assistant pre-Kindergarten teacher, and doesn’t make a lot of money. She’s living in a FEMA Trailer with her 16-year-old son. It’s cramped, I’ve been in there.

Ann’s also stressed because she has an appointment with a Road Home rep on Friday (10/26). Road Home is the federal reimbursement program that provides money back to pre-Katrina homeowners whose houses were destroyed or damaged. She was in a trailer before (not a FEMA Trailer, but a full-sized one). She lost the trailer home, and everything in it, during Katrina. She might get $10,000 from Road Home, if that. Knowing that’s she hurting for a few bucks and stressed over her meeting on Friday, I called her up at the school and told her I’d come by and give her a little something. She was so cute, when she came out to talk to me, she was talking a mile a minute – I cannot say enough times how therapeutic and helpful it is to the residents when you just listen to them and let them vent! – sharing her latest info and just looking up at me, saying she hopes things work out.

I gave her the Amex certificate, told her it was from my brother, and that I know it’s not much but that maybe she can go get some groceries with it. Of course, she thanked me countless times (the residents here are appreciative beyond description, in such a sincere and genuine way). Then she gave me and another volunteer who was with me a hug, just thanking us for caring, for being here, for calling her to check up on her. The little things, from a phone call to a hug….no paycheck will ever match them.

ANOTHER FAMILY: Sticking with my theme of wanting to introduce families that Erin and I will be working with through our non-profit (St. Bernard Recovery Corp.), I want to introduce Johnnie Sylve and her 11-year-old daughter Gabrielle. They live in a FEMA Trailer, outside their house, which is now gutted. Johnnie is a single mom who works full time at the Murphy’s Oil refinery just a few miles up the road from their property. She recently bought another house, which was also destroyed and sits gutted, for her and her daughter to move into. Her older son, married and in his early 30s, is going to take the former house.

Johnnie is very inspirational. She’s adamant about not accepting handouts, she’s adamant about working and saving whatever money she can, and she’s adamant about providing the best that she can for her daughter. I am going to help Johnnie try to get help from the United Way for assistance with contractors and materials to rebuild her house, and then I hope to provide them with some furniture and other household goods.

Finally, I’m off to Jacksonville, Fl, this weekend to get another truck load of donated items (with maybe a 3-hour detour to go to a certain football game between a certain school in Florida and a certain school in Georgia, but who's keeping track of that stuff). This load won’t be as big as the one we brought down from up north a few weeks back, but it’s still a good amount and very worthwhile to add to what we already have. My dad did a great job spreading the word, using his contacts and establishing new ones to gather this stuff up. On November 10, SBRC will be having a distribution of all this stuff to the families we’re working with.

Not So Bad After All

In a blog posted last week (10/11/07), I described some of the frustrations and red tape surrounding a visit to a Salvation Army warehouse in New Orleans. There were some bigger items sitting there, including refrigerators and dishwashers, that I would have liked to have gotten my hands on for residents, but the warehouse foreman explained to me that those were items donated via the United Way and that because of certain protocols they couldn’t be distributed to residents of St. Bernard Parish. He suggested I call the local United Way to see if anything could be done. I have to admit, at the time it didn’t sound hopeful.

But I’m going to consider this a lesson in why and how we should always explore all possibilities, and at least try. It took a few phone calls this week, but this morning I finally got through to someone at the local chapter of the United Way who knew what was going on. The woman I spoke with, Nicole, is with the United Way of Greater New Orleans, and she was extremely courteous, interested and helpful. After letting me explain what our program does, she alerted me to two committees, one based in St. Bernard Parish, and one which covers all of the greater New Orleans area. The committees are comprised of representatives from a number of agencies and non-profits, big and small, and they meet monthly to discuss needs in the area, how to network amongst each other and who and where the most assistance is needed. Additionally, she explained that the United Way has a large amount of donated items locally, above and beyond what I saw at the Salvation Army warehouse, and that by joining these committees and going through the proper channels, I’d very likely be able to get a lot of the goods.

Jackpot! So, not only does it look like I have another great window to compiling goods to get to the families I’m working with, but also that I’ll be getting great exposure and face time to other organizations via these committees. I already spoke with the head of the Long Term Recovery Organization and we’re going to sit down next week so that our non-profit (SBRC) can officially be signed up to be part of the group (The Greater New Orleans Disaster Recovery Organization, also referred to as DRIP, is the other organization).

I was pretty quick to scoff at the red tape and procedure and protocol involved with getting stuff at that warehouse last week. But, a couple of phone calls provided a good lesson, a great window of opportunity, and, perhaps most of all, another reminder that there are lots of good people down here who really want to help.

On an equally good note, I thought I’d post a photo of two members of the latest household that we’re going to try and help. Fred and Lillian Johnson, married for 27 years (her second marriage), lost their home and all their possessions in Katrina. Mr. Johnson also suffered a serious injury while cleaning up their property, slipping on a board and cracking a disk in his neck. He recently had surgery to have it replaced, and a bout with prostate cancer is next. As he aptly put it when I met with them, “Katrina ruined us”.

Still, there’s no self-pity with Fred and Lillian. Frustration, yes. They have received no word on when they’ll get their Road Home money as repayment for losing their home. But self-pity, no. They just want to do what’s best for the entire family, as they have a daughter, granddaughter and two great-grand kids living with them. They now have a modular home (their original home came off the foundation during the storm and was deemed irreparable), with a FEMA Trailer in the front yard and a garage that they’ve turned into a mini-apartment in back. Their granddaughter and her two children live in there.

Mr. Johnson told me today all he really wants for himself is a folding table to eat at while he sits in his rolling chair. I told him I think we can handle that. Of course, I hope we can do a bit more for them as well.

Home Delivery

Today was an exciting day. Lots happened, but one thing in particular made it extra special. I made the first 'official' delivery as the St. Bernard Recovery Corporation, taking a mattress and box spring that was part of the truckload of things my SBRC partner (Erin Donovan) and I drove down from the Northeast two weeks ago to the home of Michael and Linda Pelletier.

I met Michael and Linda just last Friday after a social worker from Louisiana Spirit contacted us, to see if we had a bed we could provide. They've been sleeping on FEMA mattresses, on the floor, for two years now. They told me how many nights one of them will move to the couch or the other room because it's just so uncomfortable. The couple lost everything in Katrina, and are now living in a modular home that was donated by Rev. Billy Graham. It's pretty nice, they keep it very clean, and they complained about very little. They truly seemed grateful when I met them on Friday for all that they had, including the home (which is light years better than a FEMA Trailer). One of the very few things they did complain about, though, was their sleeping situation.

I think we're going to help make it better, though.

“We really appreciate it,” said Michael Pelletier. “Linda’s been laying on a FEMA mattress. It’s been uncomfortable for her. We’ve been sleeping on the floor for two years. If you can’t sleep well, it stresses you out even more.”

I talked to them later in the day, just to check in and see how they were doing, and they were raving about the new bed.

“It’s a very nice mattress,” added Michael. “I laid on it before, and I didn’t want to get up”.

Said Linda:“I told Mike, don’t wake me up tomorrow."

This little blurb, by the way, is all part of my new mindset. It's been an adjustment going from a volunteer who was working for other organizations and just going about his business, to one who has started a non-profit. I was never really comfortable talking about myself or what I was doing. I was definitely all about talking about St. Bernard Parish, and helping to raise awareness about what's going on here, but I struggled or felt guilty if I had to talk about myself and what I was doing.

That's all had to change now, though. If I want St. Bernard Recovery Corp. to be successful, I need to talk it up, and talk up what we're doing. The people that I want to help aren't going to get that assistance if I don't think about PR. It hasn't been easy, but I'm getting there. We're going to submit a press release and pics from this morning to some local papers, and start putting together a media kit of what we're doing so that when we go to potential donors and companies, and apply for grants, we can show what we've done, and have that added credibility.

I won't be blogging about every delivery or accomplishment, but this is good practice to get in that frame of mind. So bear with me as I drop out stories like this here and there. And besides, it's probably a good thing anyway. Michael and Linda are great people, and it's good that some people get to see into their lives a bit.

Stop the Madness

The red tape and bureaucracy doesn’t begin and end with government only. Relief operations sometimes are no better. Wednesday, I went to the Salvation Army’s main New Orleans facility over on the West Bank (down here, that means across the Mississippi River), a huge warehouse that used to be a Coca-Cola factory. It’s in a terrible neighborhood, and the building had to be 70 years old, and showed every day of its age. But no matter. The point of my trip there was not to see pretty neighborhoods or nice architecture. I got word through a good source last week that the Salvation Army was looking to get rid of a lot of the stuff they’ve been housing there for the better part of two years, including some food. When it comes to my non-profit’s (SBRC) mission, food’s actually not as high on my priority list as household goods, but I’d take it. Everything helps, and, I know some small organizations that do food handouts and they could always use it, too.

I called the warehouse supervisor, Dan Ketcham, on Tuesday, introduced myself, told him about my program and asked if I could come see what they have. He was very receptive and invited me to come meet him first thing Wednesday morning. He’d show me around, and I could see if there’s anything I could use. The facility is massive. It has four large rooms, each about a football field worth in size. As I surveyed each room, I could only imagine how many things they could have fit in there shortly after Katrina. Anyway, it was about as I expected, in terms of food and goods. There were no life-saving prizes there, but definitely things I could take and distribute in St. Bernard, from juice and snacks, to canned vegetables, to slippers and sneakers, to cleaning products and disinfectant wipes. Again, not a home run, but I’ll take it.

But then I saw what might have been a home run. Just Tuesday, I was at the house of Lori Jones, an African-American woman of about 32, 33, who is serving as legal guardian for Donnell, a fourth-grader at Andrew Jackson who suffers from bouts of schizophrenia. The guidance counselor at AJ passed her information on to me as a good candidate for SBRC’s help. Her husband works on a barge and is out at sea until Dec. 1. Meanwhile, their house, which they just bought a few months ago, is nice enough, will be nice, but it’s far from a finished product. Getting to the point, Lori has no appliances. None. No refrigerator, no stove, no microwave, no washer or dryer. They don’t even have a kitchen sink. When I asked what they do for food, storing or cooking, she said they go to the convenience store around the corner a couple of times a day, and go out for a hot meal about once a week (her husband sends money to pay the bills, but there’s little left beyond that apparently).

So there I was, the very next morning, and as we walk into the third of these four huge rooms at the Salvation Army, what do I see but 7 brand new refrigerators, still in the box, lined up in the middle of the floor. They also had a row of dishwashers. “Can I get one of those?” I barked. “No”, replied Ketcham.

The appliances, it turns out, were donated by the United Way. But, when they did so, apparently United Way stipulated that they be distributed evenly to each of the main parishes in greater New Orleans (Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines). In other words, each parish would get a certain number of them, and when that number is met, that’s it, and no more can go there. Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard already received their allotment; hence, I couldn’t take one for a resident in St. Bernard. “Are you sure? Can I call someone? There’s no way I can take just one?” I asked again. “Sorry,” said Ketcham. “I just work here, and I have my orders. I don’t want to lose my job. “

So, while Lori Jones and her son live in a house with no refrigerator, about 30 minutes away, on the West Bank, across the Mississippi, in a building where Coca-Cola used to be bottled, there sit seven brand new, still in the box refrigerators, doing nothing more than collecting dust and serving as decoration. Wonderful. Glad to see that common sense prevails again.

For the record, I WILL make some calls about this!

Speaking of Common Sense, or better yet, priorities, don’t you find it funny that so many people and the media can get so wound up regarding a baseball manager and whether or not he’s being treated fairly? Joe Torre’s New York Yankees were once again bounced in the first round of the baseball playoffs, they haven’t won a championship in seven years, his job is justifiably on the line (he should have been fired a year ago, if you ask me), and all I’ve heard for four consecutive days is how poorly Joe has been treated and that he deserves better and that the Yankees are nuts for thinking they can get a better dugout leader.

Please. You want to talk about being treated poorly or with disrespect, don’t talk to me about a guy who gets paid $7.5 million a year to sit in a dugout for three hours every day and decide who should bat cleanup, and who probably hasn’t paid for a meal in a New York City restaurant in a dozen years. All the shills on TV and radio crying about this topic should get down to New Orleans and let me introduce them to some people. Then I’ll show them what being treated poorly and with disrespect is all about.

I know it’s a ‘sports’ related topic and it inevitably will be discussed on ESPN, on sports talk radio and in newspaper columns all across the country. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be. But to this level? And to this level of outrage and urgency? Give me a break. Some people in this country really ought to get some perspective.

Speaking of perspective, it’s always great when I get a good slap of it from time to time down here. One of the items Erin and I brought back from up north last week was a full size mattress and box spring. Earlier this week, through a contact at a project that rehabs houses, I found a home for it. We’re giving it to an older couple, both of whom are sick and one of whom (the wife) apparently sleeps on the floor a lot. Well I called them today to arrange the drop-off for Friday, I got the husband, who I hadn’t spoken with yet, and talked to him for a bit and about coming over with the mattress, and if he said ‘Thank You’, or ‘God Bless’ one time he must have said it 50 times. “Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this will help us”, was the refrain. The best thing about what I’m doing now is that all I need to do is hear that man’s voice and that sentence, and it makes every day spent here all the more rewarding. I can’t wait to meet him in person tomorrow and hand off that bed.