Summer is here!

Even though we love having volunteers year round, we want to express caution when working outside with us these summer months.  As of right now, we are under a heat advisory here in Slidell. The heat index has been over 105 degrees this week, and will only get hotter! It’s VERY important to stay hydrated and take lots of breaks. Here are some tips for your summer volunteer trip:

•  Talk to your group about rotating shifts, i.e. 1 group can work, while the other breaks  & vice versa. Or, another idea may to be work for 20 min, then off for 15 min. Getting an early start is another option, as it is cooler in the mornings and evenings.  
• We like to have 2-3 water coolers at all the sites, but we encourage bringing electrolyte replacement drinks as well.
•  Bananas are a great snack that helps prevent muscle cramps.
• Wear lightweight, loose clothing and hats. If you start feeling weak, dizzy or nausea, that is a sign of a heat related illness.

We’re excited for our summer volunteers, and want them all to have a safe and wonderful trip!

11st Dedication Ceremony!

 I know it’s been a while since we’ve updated our blog. Please forgive me, I’m new to the blogging world! We have had some exciting things going on  here at PCO.  In May, we had our 11st  home dedication ceremony. It was such a wonderful event! Thankfully, volunteers from the Beaver-Butler Presbytery were volunteering with us the same time we scheduled the ceremony. God works great ways!  For the ceremony, we had a short prayer and meditation given by Rev. Barbara Thursby. Volunteers from the Beaver-Butler Presbytery shared fond memories of Wayne Bell.  Our homewoner was given 2 prayer quilts and a Bible that contained signatures and messages from all the volunteers that have worked on her home. Mrs. Debbie Bell presented the key to the homeowner.  It was a special event  for us all. Thank you to all the volunteers who have worked with us and made this dream come true for our homeowner. She is forever grateful, and cannot express her gratitude enough. May God continue to work through us and bless us!

 

 

  

Happy Mardi Gras!

As the Mardi Gras season is in full swing, everyone here at the PCO would like to wish you all a very happy and safe Mardi Gras! For those of you who aren’t able to be in New Orleans this week, I’ve found this great website for you to check out: http://www.nola.com/mardigras/index.ssf/2010/01/post_2.html. It’s a great piece on the history of the event. And as they say down south Laissez les bons temps rouler! ( Let the good times roll)

Recapping Katrina

Since our mission at PCO is  to help rebuild homes in the Slidell area that were damaged from Katrina,  I feel that it’s important to refresh our memory with some facts and images from the storm.  I have been doing some research on the affects of the storm in the Slidell area, and I must say, it has brought back memories, thoughts and feelings that had long been forgotten.

Hurricane Katrina at a Cat 5

I first wanted to go over a few facts about the affects of the storm here  in Slidell.

• At 10:00 am, Katrina made her 3rd landfall near Slidell.
• Sustained winds at 120 mph, with wind gusts at 175 mpg.
• The eye wall of Katrina came through Slidell, which caused a severe amount of  damage to the area.
• The storm surge was 20-25 ft high at Eden Isles
• Many areas had 3-10 ft of water

My family and I are Oklahoma natives. I had never traveled much, and I was excited when my husband landed an internship with Lockheed Martin during the summer of 2005. I was excited to live so close to  New Orleans.  That summer, we stayed at the Anchorage apartments just off the east side of the Twin Spans.  It was like a vacation for me, the apartments were on the harbor and we enjoyed watching boats come in and out. Our balcony overlooked the huge Lake Ponchartrain.  We spent our free time exploring Slidell, deciding if we wanted to make this beautiful, quiet place our future home.  My husband accepted a full time job offer from the company, so we packed up and headed back to Oklahoma to make arrangements for our big move.

We left 2 weeks before Katrina struck Slidell.  I remember watching the news, hoping to hear any information about Slidell. One news report showed an arial shot of the twin spans that looked like dominioes stacked beside each other. i looked closer, trying to see if the the shot was from the west or east side of the bridge. Then, I saw the Oak Harbor exit sign, and my stomach turned. The helicopter then panned over the Anchorage apartments. I saw my old apartment that I had just lived in, the roof was ripped off.  The beautiful harbor that was once filled with beautiful yachts was trashed with shredded lumber and debris.

http://www.katrinadestruction.com

wwwlkatrinadestruction.com

The apartments were hit with a 26 ft storm surge from Lake Ponchartrain. I had heard  a few people who refused to evacuate from the 1st floor were drowned. My friend and her family lived on the second floor. Her husband had returned to the apartments a few weeks later. He was overcome by the smells,  stunned by the silence of the town, and overwhelmed by the devistation. He was so shocked by the state of the enviroment, he decided their family  could never return and rebuild in Slidell.

macchuck.com

The next few weeks, we kept a close eye of the rebuilding efforts on the Northshore, after all, this place was going to be our new home. In January, we flew to Slidell hoping to find a place to live.  It was not easy. We stayed in the only hotel available in town, which had only 5 rooms available to the public.   The doors were still warped and the walls were spotted with mold. The fast food places shut down early, either from lack of food or workers. Many gas stations were still closed. I couldn’t believe how much Slidell had changed.

Thankfully, we were able to find a place to rent. And over the next few months, I knew without a doubt that this was were I wanted to be. I was and still am amazed at the spirit of the Greater New Orleans. This place is unlike any other place. The people are truly proud to call this place home.

So, hopefully as you read this and see the pictures of  the devastation the Katrina left,  you’ll be left feeling thankful. Thankful we made it through the tough times, we are stronger, more aware, and grateful for the people who have help us rebuild our homes.

http://www.slidell.la.us/emergency.php

MLK Day Service Project: Wheelchair-Ramp-Building Blitz!

Good afternoon, everyone!  Yesterday’s MLK Day event was a huge success.  Thanks to all who came out to work, and those who supported the event from far away with thoughts, prayers, and donations.

We had over 70 volunteers show up, which was fantastic!  Volunteers came with Louisiana’s AmeriCorps program, Delta Corps, and also with First United Methodist Church of Slidell and Faith Bible Church of Slidell.  During the morning, we worked at Faith Bible Church’s spacious facility to build frames for four ramps.  Once finished there, the teams – Saints, Hornets, Tigers, and Green Wave – broke out to go to their own sites to install their ramps.

By the end of the day, we had three ramps completely installed, and one last ramp almost completed.  The Saints team tackled a huge beast of a ramp project yesterday, and they did an absolutely wonderful job!  The frames and other materials are still out on site, and that ramp will be finished by other volunteers sometime soon (TBA; if interested in participating, please email maggie@pcoslidell.org).  Tigers, Hornets, and Green Wave completed their ramps throughout the afternoon, not giving in to some road bumps that occurred along the way!  Everyone worked really hard, with great success.

All in all, we had a really wonderful group of people show up yesterday.  I can’t thank you guys enough for an awesome, productive day!  Four more families are no longer held prisoner inside their own homes for lack of a safe exit.  Your service will not be forgotten!

Here are some photos I took yesterday.  If you have any others you would like to post, please email me! (maggie@pcoslidell.org)

I would also like to thank Rich Jeppeson from First United Methodist Church; Michael Sweetland from Faith Bible Church; Angela Pinckard and Lisa Moore Teer from Delta Corps; and Brian and Ashley from PCO.  These guys helped with the planning and on the day of the event.  This project would not have been possible without them.

Additionally, thanks so much to the PCO family who helped support this service project financially: Pastor Barbara Jordan of Crossroads Presbyterian Church, Henry & Karen Carrouth, Jane Farmer, William Mullane, Mike & Rosann Corbett, Robert Aagesen, and Joseph & Nancy Fouts.

MLK Day Build Front Page!

Exciting news!  This morning, PCO made the front page of the Slidell-Picayune, a MWF local supplement in the regional Times-Picayune newspaper!  The article is about the Wheelchair Ramp Build that is happening on Monday.

It’s all coming together, piece by piece.  I can barely wait until Monday!

Thanks Slidell-Picayune!

Devastation in Haiti – What Can We Do?

“One of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, Haiti in recent years has struggled with problems ranging from near-constant political upheaval, health crises, severe environmental degradation and an annual barrage of hurricanes, which killed an estimated 800 people and caused vast damage in 2008.

On Jan. 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Haiti, [reducing] much of its capital [city] to rubble. It was the worst in the region in more than 200 years, with thousands feared dead. The phsyical devastation created serious obstacles to delivering promised foreign aid…” (From NYTimes)

In response to this recent tragedy in Haiti, a friend of mine working down here in NOLA posted “It feels really sad to be in the middle of rebuilding one city and then reading about another one getting completely leveled. I’m trying to get work done, but I can’t stop thinking about Haitians today.”  I think he put into eloquent expression what a lot of us are feeling.

I urge everyone in the PCO family to think about how they can respond to this crisis – as they have already shown their capacity for great love by responding to the crisis in the Gulf Coast four years ago.  Christ calls us to reach out to our brothers and sisters in their times of need.

Out of many wonderful groups that are attempting to respond to this emergency, Partners in Health is one with which I have a personal connection, and one that I trust completely to do a good, efficient, and loving job of taking care of the people of Haiti.   I have received emails from them asking for our help, and they state that their greatest need right now is financial help.  Please consider looking into this really great organization and donating here.

Another really great way to help is through Christian-based groups , like the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (who also fund us!) and the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

Thank you, Orchard Lake Presbyterian!

PCO just recently received a very generous donation from Orchard Lake Community Church Presbyterian in Orchard Lake, MI!  This group came to work with us back in November – even working through the Thanksgiving holiday.  What a dedicated group!

This donation has given the office an extra boost of energy and excitement about the work we are doing – which coincides perfectly with the beginning of this new year.  2010 holds many chances to grow and succeed, and we look forward to many accomplishments.  It is with the help of our volunteers and supporters, like Orchard Lake Presbyterian, that we are able to do the work of Christ in the Greater New Orleans Area.

MLK Day Project in less than a week!

Okay, everybody – the countdown has begun!  In less than a week, approximately 50 volunteers from the Greater New Orleans area will gather together to build 4 new wheelchair ramps for the Northshore community!

Here is how we have done for fundraising:

We’ve raised $510 so far!  That is really most excellent.  Thank you to all who have sent in donations – and there is still time to send more, if you get them in by the end of the week.

The little planning committee will be super busy for the rest of the week, buying materials, organization tools, and making the final preparations for the event on Monday.  I think God is really moving here – He’s already brought these groups of people together, that were looking for ways to give back to the community but weren’t sure how to do it alone.  And so next Monday should be a huge success.  We’ll keep you posted here!

Another New Addition to the PCO staff

Hi everyone!

My name is Ashley Ritchie and I’m the new PCO Volunteer Coordinator. This is only my first week here, but I am so excited about the upcoming year.  We have some great projects going on now,  and we  have a lot of goals to achieve for the new year.  The PCO staff is wonderful!  They have made me feel very welcome and I look forward to working with them this year. Keep checking our blog for more updates!