Rebuilding

A few weeks ago I had to talk on a panel about the importance of service. Because of the timing, the panel became a discussion of what we could do about Katrina. Seven years ago I had my first experience with New Orleans while on a volunteer spring break when I was a freshman in college. I spent a lot more time at the AIDS hospice * and the teen homeless shelter where we were working than I did in the Garden District or the French Quarter. But in the time I did spend exploring the city, I was generally amazed at how the vast discrepancy between rich and poor. That people could be dying from AIDS or teenage mothers could be struggling to raise three kids, hold down a job, and finish high school while living in a shelter within walking distance from Bourbon Street astounded my 18 year old self.

As I think back on the people I met on that trip, I doubt most of them even made it to 2005 … nevermind making it through Katrina. I hope Katrina reminds me that there are people everywhere for whom everyday is a struggle and a storm against which they fight, and perhaps the most important thing I can do after Katarina is find them in my own community and help them to beat that storm.

* The AIDS hospice is still going strong and looking forward to returning to New Orleans in the next few weeks. Their residents are currently spread across the country getting the care they need, but they wil go back and rebuild. Of course, they'll need lots of donations and support to get back home if you have any to spare.