"Keep on Keepin' On"

This just in from Michael Hebert.

All the best to the volunteers and the NOLA residents who keep the heart of this work alive.





Hello All!



HERE IS THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE HURRICANE RELIEF AND SOCIAL JUSTICE PROJECT, THE UCBR WEEKEND WARRIORS, AND OUR PLANS FOR THE TWO UPCOMING SATURDAY WORKDAYS, 12/08 & 12/15/07. PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE!


In case you haven't heard, the Disaster Response Team at the UCBR is shutting down, and replaced with a new set of directors, Diana Dorroh, myself, and another person we voted on last Sunday, who escapes my memory. Chere Coen is leaving the director position for the Hurricane Relief and Social Justice Project, which is also being shut down. the remaining $2,000 funds, is being redirected to the UCBR Weekend Warriors to continue to support their work, adn to provide seed money for any new efforts. So the good news is that even though HRSJP is shutting down, the UCBR UUs will "keep on keepin' on", as long as you volunteers show an interest in helping.



AS OF DECEMBER 15TH, IT WILL HAVE BEEN ALMOST EXACTLY TWO YEARS SINCE UCBR WWs STARTED WORKING IN S.E. LA. IN THAT TIME, 52 UCBR MEMBERS &FRIENDS HAVE WORKED ANYWHERE FROM ONE TO OVER THIRTY TRIPS, WORKING AT AT 35 LOCATIONS IN ARABI, BATON ROUGE, KENNER, METAIRIE, NEW OREANS, & SLIDELL, LA. WE HAVE PROVIDED OVER 1,400 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER LABOR, AND A TOTAL OF OVER 2,000 HOURS IF TOTAL TRAVEL TIME IS INCLUDED.

Most of our volunteers have been unskilled folks, although we do have a few folks who are skilled with tools. We've mucked and/or, gutted and boarded up about 4 houses, cleaned up debris and dead vegetation, installed new fencing, bucked up and moved fallen trees and debris to the curb for pickup, performed small repairs, moved donated food, supplies, donated appliances, furniture and belongings, put up new sheet rock, painted inside and outside, installed electrical outlets and switches, and helped with yard maintenance.



WE NEED TO CELEBRATE!



PLANS FOR THIS SATURDAY:



Our UCBR WW members had a productive Sat. last weekend. Jim Casper got some electrical work done at Augusta's and new WWs Janet and Robin Moulder and I helped an elderly disabled couple move from their FEMA trailer in Baton Rouge to a rent house in Metairie.



Here is a status report, prepared by Jim Casper, and path forward for completion of the work at Augusta's house in Violet, LA:



A. Status:



1.
Kitchen, Living/Dining area, Master bedroom are all ready for primer/drywall mud mix paint.
2.
Bathroom, Laundry room and Bedroom #2 need first coat of float sanded and a second coat of float applied.
3.
Hall way and #3 bedroom needs a first coat of float finished (some of each area has first coat on.
4.
Bathroom vent in attic needs to be connected. I did not bring the correct tools to do this today. Part of the attic floor has to be cut away to get access to the vent blower. I will bring the correct tools next week.
5.
Continue to install electrical outlets and switches.



Path Forward:



When the above jobs are finished, including putting second coat of float, sanding and prime painting the areas that now only have one coat on.



1. install kitchen cabinets



2. Install bathroom sink and tile around the bathtub.



3. Put on finish coat of paint.



4. Install sink, dishwasher, range and refrigerator in kitchen.



5. Install light fixtures, A/C duct covers in all rooms.



6. Install flooring in all rooms. (Kitchen, Bath and Master Bedroom first)



7. Move Augusta into here house from the FEMA trailer.



While we may not be able to get Augusta moved in by Christmas, we are making good progress!



Plans for this coming Saturday are to work on the items under status - if you have experience in any of those areas, and want to volunteer to come and help, please let me know ASAP. We will meet at the UCBR church parking lot between 7 & 7:30 am, leaving at 7:30 am to carpool down to Augusta's house to work there all day. Jeff Flynn is bringing a fan to help ventilate the house while we paint.



Weather for this coming Sat. is predicted to be:



Scattered Showers, High 80°F
Precip - 30%
Wind: SE 9 mph
Max. Humidity: 82%
UV Index: 4 Moderate
Sunrise: 6:44 AM CT
Sunset: 5:01 PM CT

FEMA trailer park family assistance - needs and numbers

Here is the list of items that the Educational Services of Renaissance is requesting for donation. Mary, the Educational Services Consultant, forwarded me the information today.



"We are basically asking that groups or families provide the following for each family:

1. a set of clothes for each child
2. underwear and socks
3. a pair of shoes
4. hygiene products (like toothburshes and toothpaste)
5. food for the family
6. a special gift for each child
7. possibly, if budget allows, smaller gifts for each child
8. a Christmas stocking
9. a gift for their mommy

Thanks so much for helping me out with this."




Seven children from the early childhood to middle grade program have been located, and 4 more children are being selected from the teen program.

The smallest number to care for is one boy and his mother. The largest family group is one boy, his 5 siblings, two teen aunts, his grandmother and mother.



Thank you again for your possible help.

Important outreach for the families

Mary, the former education director from Renaissance Village, just called me to let me know about a couple important issues for the trailer park families.

They are in search of individuals and/or groups who can "adopt" 4 families this holiday season. They'd help provide basic needs like clothes and nice meals, as well as gifts for the family members. She is going to email the information to me so I can get the word out.

She also told me that the trailer park will be closing in May 2008. Her task right now through her job in New Orleans is to assist in finding a place for the families to live. I'm overwhelmed by the reality of the situation because some of these families and children that need help are the same ones that had to return to the trailer park after following their efforts to return to New Orleans. Lack of resources, affordable housing, jobs, and safety in some NOLA areas cause challenges and suffering that go beyond their means. Where will they go and what will they do? I would like to keep you aware of any opportunities to input ideas and get involved in the relocation process.

Thank you.