An Amazing Week Comes to an End!!

Friday was our last work day. The day started out quite dreary. It was dark and pouring rain. We reported on-time the meeting place for all volunteers and were told that we would all be focused on indoor work until it cleared. We all headed to our houses and painted, hung doors, installed cabinets and cleaned up. At lunch the Salvation Army served us lunch (as they had every day before that). Lunch was hot dogs, burgers or shrimp. There was tons of shrimp. Every person got at least a pound and could have returned for more. It was their special way of thanking us for a job well done.

At 4 pm there was a house dedication for all 10 of the homes that were built. It was AMAZING!!! All 10 home owners were single women - most, if not all, mothers. At one point during the presentation they had the opportunity to speak and each shared heartfelt and teary expressions of their appreciation for their home and the many, many hours that went into building the homes. The volunteers also had an opportunity to share any thoughts / expressions and many did. Additionally, one of the oldest residents of that development shared and brought many in the crowd to tears. We all went to our respective homes and did a smaller / more personal dedication ceremony with our respective homeowners. After a bunch of hugs and pictures we headed back to Lagniappe for our last over night at the camp. Many volunteers went to New Orleans for some socializing Friday night and we will all head to the airport in the next few hours for our return trips to the Philadelphia area or London or Dublin.

This was my fourth time on this trip and each time I'm amazed at how powerful the experience is and how much we, as volunteers, walk away with. We truly get more than we give during these weeks of service. It means so much to give back and our volunteers are incredible living demonstrations of what it means to be charitable. The SEI volunteers bonded during the week and lots of friendships were started and rekindled.

I hope our other bloggers share their experiences and thoughts in the coming days as well. Check back!!!

Regardless of your politics, former President Carter is a great humanitarian. And I believe has done more since leaving office than any other president in my lifetime (and yes I was round when he was in office unlike many in our group). It was quite moving today when he walked up to our house with the former first lady smiling. It was storming all morning with lightening and thunder and we thought the visit would be called off. But the rain finally let up, and the Carters walked from House #1 to House #10 to visit each of our teams and their home partners.

Our house is nealy complete. Unbelievable what we have accomplished in a few days. And though they have been long and the work exhausting, I have loved every minute of it. We have worked with wonderful Habitat Staff and other volunteers.

The Carters are coming!! The Carters are coming!!

Today is going to be our visit from Jimmy and Rosallyn Carter. This is a really big deal for Habitat and us. We will all be wearing the same t-shirts. Yesterday we practiced our photo poses since the Carters will be visiting each of the houses and taking group photos with the volunteers. We were also given helpful reminders of what to do and not do when they are at the house. We're not suppoused to ask for autographs or run up to them. We're told that they are both friendly and enjoy interacting with the volunteers and may randomly approach us with questions or to chat. Some of our volunteers are more excited about seeing the Secret Service team than the former President and his wife. Keep in mind that lots of our team weren't alive during the Carter administration. smile

We'll blog and tell everyone how it went. Much of yesterday's focus was making the front of the houses picture worthy yesterday.

With two days left the pace of work remains quick as continue to do all of the things necessary to complete the house for our respective home owners. It's amazing how quickly the house is being transformed into something incredible!!!

Last night, after work ended, we got a big and nasty rain storm. Today there is also a chance for thunderstorms. Things like that could potentially hamper progress - we'll see.

We welcome questions / comments and look forward to sharing more of our experience with you via blog in the coming days. Keep checking back!!

This Week is Amazing!!

It's hard to capture in words the power of this week. We've been down three other times and each time has been incredible in it's own way. However, to participate in the Jimmy & Rosallyn Carter Work Week (an annual Habitat event that is held in one worldwide location) is amazing. Our Habitat affiliate is sponsoring 300 volunteers and we will be building 10 houses. The SEI team was spread across 8 of these houses with 6 - 10 SEI volunteers on each of the 8 sites. When we arrived on Monday morning there was generally a slab foundation and little else at each of the 10 job sites. As you saw on the pictures and Dave, Lori and Alan posted amazing things happen in a short period of time. The most startling progress happens on the first day when walls are built and raised and the roof takes shape. By the end of day two - our house (#10) is half sided and looks great inside (totally sheetrocked).

At house #10 we're working with an incredible and diverse group of folks - some Americorps volunteers from Buffalo area, some single volunteers from around the country and a few Habitat staffers. Everyone contributes in awesome ways to make our house continue to make strides so that Sharon (our homeowner) can move in shortly!! Sharon has also been on the job site every day with us all day - working shoulder to shoulder.

I don't know that if the other bloggers gave a recap of what our days are like - here's a quick snapshot:

Leave church at 6 am
Arrive at development we're working in by around 6:30 am
Eat breakfast and start walking / bussing to job sites at 7 am
Start working at 7:30 am
Take half hour lunch mid-day
Stop working and head back to the church around 6 pm

The days are LONG but extremely rewarding. Those that are young and / or energetic head to local establishments to watch some hockey (Come on Flyers - you can still win this!!!) or take a nice walk. Others of us shower up and head to bed a little early.

The other thing that I think is so cool is that we have friends down here. The Habitat crew has been largely consistent since we arrived so we know all of them well and we are always greeted heartily. I found out yesterday that we are tied with another group for the distinction of returning the most number of times - 4 so far - since the storm. Habitat makes it incredibly clear how much our time and support is appreciated.

I'm going to sign off now and grab a little breakfast and start the day again. Although sore in muscles I never knew existed and still tired from a night in a small / warm bunkhouse I'm truly excited to have another day in MS making a difference with my fellow SEI volunteers and new friends!!!

The House #9 crew celebrates a successful day #2 with boiled craw fish, fried oysters, po boys, and magnolia pecan beer at Lil Rays! Not that this is a competition, but apparently we are ahead schedule and the other houses. Today we tyveked, caulked, did soffitt and siding, nailed more hurricane strips, primed railings, hauled stuff, and Hugh built a mysterious box on the roof. We think President Carter will be impressed with our workmanship. But more importantly, the homeowner, Mary Lou who has been living in a FEMA since Katrina is very pleased with our progress.

In a word: Amazing! As the dawn broke, we built the frames and raised the exterior and interior walls on house #9. A great team of SEI-ers: John Fletcher, Hugh Gallagher and son Ryan, Summer Jolly and her husband Sam, and me, Lori White and husband, Ron Weber, joined by other volunteers for a total crew of about two dozen. I have hammered more nails in one day than collectively in four decades (hundreds I believe). The sense of collective accomplishment is amazing. For those of us who work with our brains by normal day, there is something extremely gratifying about real labor. Despite the burning sun, cramping rarely used muscles, blisters and bruises we kept at it.

House #9 Raising!

House 5 - Audrey Steele

Let me start off with this disclaimer - This is my first blog and I am not versed in the ways of blogging. So I apologize in advance for the (lack of) formatting. I will strive to improve.

On our way from New Orleans to Bay St. Louis.

The bridge seems to never end.

Below are totems representing the many different groups who have come to stay at Lagniappe and to work in the Bay St. Louis area.

For SEI Build Team 5, this is a brief bio of who we are building this house for.

A nice lady who has 'dug in' to the work as part of Habitat's 'sweat equity' requirement. Painting, sweeping, moving things here, there and everywhere with no letup in energy and enthusiasm. Karen Romano engaged her at the end of Day 2 as they were cleaning up the house from the day's work. Ms. Steele was already visualizing the living room and kitchen and the placement of her families furnishings. Most importantly, which of the three bedrooms was to be hers. (Answer: the one with the biggest closet!) The joy and hope was evident on her face. Not to be too preachy, but these are 'good works' and we are all proud of our efforts.

Below, Robb Muse shows off our accommodations. Yes we have our share of snoring! But think about this. Our little cabin sleeps 38 men. That is 76 individual shoes. 80 Degrees... you do the math.

Think locker room.

After Day 2, think equipment room next to locker room after 2-a-days of preason football in August.

I fear for what Day 3 brings.

Our Start

Our first day started auspicously. A cool morning, a clear blue sky, and a 300 + rev'ed up workers. We are split among 10 houses. So, again, doing the math, there are 30+ people to a house. 5 SEI'ers per. The Salvation Army provided us with the necessary caloric input, to the chagrin of some and to the delight of others. To the lefts what we were presented with on Day 1. In the prior two weeks, contactors and folks from Americorp have poured slabs, sunk pilings and done the basic framing you see. Our team consists of folks from Minneapolis, Michigan, and Denver. All with various skills and occupations. For one gentleman, retired from the production lines of Ford, this is is 14th year of volunteering, He has built homes with Habitat in the Philappines, South Africa, Los Angeles, South America, and many more. Some very dedicated hard core builders.

This what the house looked like at the end of Day 1. Much was accomplished. All of it stick built by hands and hammers, no air guns. Plain old elbow grease.

Unseen and the rows of boards that were painted white.

Day 2 started much like Day 1, Today we got windows in, roof sheeting and trusses HVAC, wiring, plumbing. At one point this AM, we had all of these groups in the house. Approximately 1,000 sq feet in size and we had 8 electricians, 2 plumbers, 7 HVAC, and our 30 plus people. A flurry of hammers, nails, ladders, Sawz-Alls, 2x4s... all swirled for about 90 minutes, then every contractor disappeared. Leaving this group of volunteers in awe at the amount of work that got done without anyone getting hurt. The afternoon of Day 2 slowed as our framers struggled with a roofing element. Nevertheless, the group endeavoured on. Installing the windows, wrapping the house in Tyvex. rolling out roofing felt and playing with pneumatic tools! What wasn't seen was all of the strapping that has to be painstakingly placed on all roof trusses and other hurricane proofing in the little unseen places that are hard to get to. Below is TJ at the end of Day 2. Home to dinner and showers and then the premier viewing of a film by a gentleman from Texas. Its called 'The One-Eyed Girl'...get the symbolism? very much a survior story. Some unique characters. We will have a showing back at Oaks. It should be seen.

I will wrap up by saying that everyone is feeling good, yet achy, about the group's efforts. We have met many new people (friends per chance?) in these first two days. I am sure the remaining 3 days will uncover more commonality within the group (SEI and House Team) as we struggle to finish our quest.

Pictures of House # 8 - courtesy of Judy Kestner

Happy Mother’s Day, Brenda Lee Benson

The shuttle left SEI for the Philadelphia airport at 5:25a. Of course it was supposed to leave at 5:15a.,though I had a ridiculous last minute need to enjoy a breakfast. The Honey-Nut-Cheerios was magical, though not enough, so I decided to keep pushing my luck. I stuck my head inside the fridge to see that my wheat bread was pushed to the back and partially frozen. Every instinct told me to leave for SEI and just forget the bread. ..When the bread did properly toast, I ignored it. Shrugged it off. Of course I could let it go to waste no more than I could enjoy luke-warm toast, so I decided to butter the toast and then pop it in the microwave for 14 seconds. Not 15 seconds, mind you. So I tried to cut corners and save some time in order to make it to SEI by 5:15a, but clearly, it wasn’t my destiny to make it on time. You could say that it was beyond my control. As an aside, toast placed in a microwave is a soggy mess. It was at that moment that I wished that my mom hadn’t given my toaster oven to my grandmother a few years back… Wait. Isn’t it Mother’s Day?.. It is! Happy Mother’s Day, mom.

Back to our journey to Mississippi. We flew US Air out of Philadelphia. US Air is an excellent conveyor of humans; I am quite content with a nap, trail mix and cranberry juice. However on this occasion, one cannot say the same for Philadelphia Airport’s conveyor of luggage. This was a failure. We waited for forty minutes on the tarmac for our luggage. No luggage loaded, though that was not my thought, as I was more concerned that the wiring would be bundled in such a way that it was an eighth of an inch off FAA specifications and the plane would shake to bits. You can never be too careful with wire bundling. Though eventually we indeed took flight and expediently arrived in New Orleans. Of course, it’s much easier to minimize the flight time when you are sans 2 tons of luggage. Correct. Luggage was lost. Nothing new. However, no one alerted us of this mess and so we watched the carousel go round and round until someone ran out of patience, walked into the US Air Baggage Claim office, and was informed that he, and everyone else aboard the flight, must file a luggage reclaim form. Well fine. Though who can assure us that this will not happen again upon our return?.. The system is broken and there’s nothing being done and so here is my opinion. Understand please that my concern, and what follows, is completely out of love. First of all, I hate the whole system. The procedure in place for the loading of luggage on the proper airplane is the source of this whole issue. Tracking needs to be in order. Accountability is the key. Secondly, this carousel system has always struck me as absurd. Is this the most clever idea the airlines can provide for passengers? In one word, it’s silly. Finally, communication could have been improved and would have assuaged my anxiety. ...Which isn’t exactly true. I have no anxiety. It’s 85* and sunny with a refreshing southern breeze off the bay. Cookie trays are everywhere. See you in a week SEI.

But hey, don’t be sore. More pertinent blogs to follow once the hard work commences, at 4:30a Monday morning. Oy.
Yours,

Alan