Wow! What a day, I mean waking up at 6:00 am. That was a killer! Then we all piled up into the big van to head to the headquarters of St. Bernard’s Projects. When we arrived Laura, who is our Project coordinator, told us the story behind the St. Bernard’s Project. They told us the Hurricane Katrina story and how the St. Bernard’s Parish (Note: a parish is similar to a county in Ohio) was considered un-inhabitable , and this is the only time in history on America soil that an entire county was named uninhabitable. That blows my mind. They also told us how so many people waited several days to see any sort of help.
That hit my heart the most. That in America we’re supposed to help one another, but in this case we let days go by. I still can’t believe it. I also learned that most of the water in New Orleans after the hurricane was labeled toxic. Also, many of the FEMA trailers they had issued to the people of New Orleans were deemed unsafe due to high levels of toxic chemicals in them making people sick. Today there are over 300 families still living in them.
We got to the house we are going to be working on today and our task was to put up Dry Wall. It seems easy but IT ISN’T EASY AT ALL!!! It was hard work, because the framing of the house is uneven which made it hard for the drywall to fit. But each group on our team finished a wall today! Kyra and Carlos worked hard to completely drywall the inside of a closet. Mr. Iorillo and Matt worked on drywalling a room with a lot of unusual angles, making Mr. Iorillo wish he knew more about Geometry! Luckily, Matt was checking Mr. Iorillo’s measurements!
Ms. Garza, Roger and Greg completely drywalled a complete wall, made a little more challenging with a window and 2 electrical outlets. Luckily, Roger used his math skills, making very accurate measurements (his math teachers would be so proud). And after several attempts on getting a piece of drywall correctly around the front door, Miss Hedrick, Anthony and I completed a wall (and a little more). We were all so proud of our accomplishments of the day.
For such our hard work today, we treated ourselves to famous chef Emeril’s restaurant called NOLA! Wow, was this a highlight of the day! Many of us enjoyed Pork Chops, Shrimp and Grits, Duck, Filet Mignon , and, oh yeah, Mr. Iorillo’s Salad. Oh, let not forget about the yummie desserts!
What a wonderful day in New Orleans, Louisiana (aka NOLA), the really makes me appreciate life and how bless we have.
— by Joshua Miller
Lions Service Project 