Operation Southern Comfort

2011 has been another eventful year.  381 volunteers have made the trip to New Orleans & St. Bernard - we worked, laughed and cried.  We made great progress and were able to finish several projects.  However, there are many still on our list, and more waiting for help.  Some of our priorities:

 

            * Flood Street (Markeshia’s house - House #3) – is 90% complete, but still on hold.  The property has been sold to NENA, a local nonprofit development organization, and has stagnated since.  We are pursuing a number of options to get the project back on track.  This has been a frustrating experience, but it will have a happy ending.

 

            * Bubby’s house – drywalling is being finished as this is written.  We will paint in October, and Bubby and Beth should get in soon thereafter.

 

            * Rebecca’s house – is being drywalled also.  It will not be long before her family can come live there.  We will continue our attack in October.

 

LEAP – Professor Fisher and the students continued the LEAP Project with tutoring and mentoring in January; Literacy Camp (one week) in June; and development of a long-distance mentoring project, scheduled to begin this month.

 

Fund-raising – another successful Crawfish Festival at the State Fairgrounds; and another successful Crawfish Open at Timber Banks.  We also helped out at the Scottish Games.

 

Finances – because of some unforeseen expenses, most notably a significant increase in trip costs, we experienced some financial difficulties in the spring.  Fortunately, a number of generous people and our fundraisers bailed us out.  We are currently in good shape, but found it necessary to raise trip fees to cover those expenses.

 

Perhaps the most notable events of 2011 have to do with family interactions.  I am reminded almost daily of the connections between our family members in Central New York and those in Louisiana and elsewhere.  A Facebook note; a phone call telling me some news about someone in St. Bernard; an email with a corny joke – all these things are priceless.  The ties that have developed between countless people over the years are strong and growing stronger.

 

Next year –

 

            * Reisie’s house – Reisie and Danielle Murchison were evicted a couple of months ago.  We have undertaken to build House #4 for them, on a lot that Reisie has obtained in Arabi.  The project will cost about $40,000, and will begin as soon as we have the funds in hand.

 

            * Trips – are tentatively scheduled for October 8-16; January 14-22; February 18-26; March 10-18; March 31-April 8; April 7-15; April 14-22; and July.  We expect most of the schools which sent contingents in 2011 to repeat in 2012.

 

            * Operation Northern Comfort – many people have advised us to organize a program to serve Central New York.  We are going to contact similar organizations in the area to see if we can hook up and help.  We will be participating in the Acts of Kindness Weekend with Women Transcending Boundaries the weekend of 9/11.

 

Issues:

 

            * Finance – raising trip fees should put that effort on a self-sustaining basis, thus allowing us to use funds raised through other means for materials and other support in Louisiana.  We will keep monitoring the situation closely.

 

            * Volunteers – there is great and growing interest among students; experienced volunteers and people of driving age (over 25) are in short supply.  There is a need to develop a stable source of experienced help.

 

            * August 29 will mark 6 years since Katrina.  Many organizations provide assistance for 12 months after a disaster, and then go elsewhere.  Many disasters have occurred in the US and abroad since Katrina.  Many people wonder why we keep going to the Gulf Coast.  It’s because big needs still exist, and we are family.  Some OSC volunteers have contributed to tsunami relief, or Tuscaloosa, or Joplin.  Some have gone to help in those places.  We have said that OSC will work in St. Bernard and New Orleans until we’re no longer wanted or needed.  That day has not yet come.