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One Year After, Recovery Efforts Focus on Rebuilding

One of the young volunteers from Wayland, Mass., working near the United Houma Nation communities. Photo: Jim Hackbarth for CWS

August 23, 2006

HOUMA, Louisiana--A group? A team? Actually, more of a small army.

A community group from Wayland, Massachusetts--30 adults and youth--recently volunteered and worked on recovery efforts in and near the United Houma Nation communities in Houma, Louisiana.

Group from Massachusetts

A community group in Wayland, Massachusetts--30 adults and youth in all--recently volunteered and worked on recovery efforts in and near the United Houma Nation communities in Houma, Mississippi.

Photo: Jim Hackbarth for CWS

Church World Service served a key role in securing a grant from member denominations to assist in rebuilding efforts in the region--and those efforts have been reinforced by the work of work teams from churches such as the Sunnyside Presbyterian Church, South Bend, Indiana, and in community groups like the Wayland volunteers--informally calling themselves Kids Gone South.

Rebuilding efforts are well under way--helping those such as Ma Ma Rose, a local woman whose home is something of a safe house for local youths and children, and Gary, a 70-year-old Houma area resident. Gary was amazed by the speed with which the young people from Wayland painted a building--he never thought his damaged home would ever be repaired.

Ma Ma Rose and children

Rebuilding efforts are well under way - helping those such as Ma Ma Rose, shown here, a local woman whose home is something of a safe house for local youths and children.
Photo: Jim Hackbarth for CWS

As for Ma Ma Rose, she said: "It is amazing that young people can do so much work which is usually done by adults. They have given so much for no personal gain."

That is the spirit with which Church World Service and other groups are guiding rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast states a year after the 2005 hurricanes.

Contributions to support the ongoing recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita may be sent to your denomination or to Church World Service, Attn: Gulf Coast Hurricane Recovery, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515. Contributions may also be made by credit card online, or by calling: 800-297-1516, ext. 222.

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;

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