Diary of Local Teens in New Orleans: Day 6

NEW ORLEANS—Welcome to The NOLA Tree's  New Orleans blog. The NOLA Tree is a Larchmont based non-profit organization that operates teen volunteer community development programs in both New Orleans and New York.

For the next week, we're here in the Lower Ninth Ward with a group of teenagers, many from the Larchmont-Mamaroneck area. We're going to be sharing our experience on a daily basis right here. Read us each day this week.

Day 6

Hey all,

So last night we headed out for Sno-Balls, but when we got to the place, the Sno-Ball truck never showed.  It was a blessing in disguise.  Instead, we went inside the Lower Ninth Village, a vibrant community center now flourishing in the Holy Cross neighborhood.  Mack, the director, spoke to our group for about a half hour in the facility's library.  Hearing his story was riveting and inspiring.

Then it was back to Camp Hope for another powerful de-brief.  Teddy Bailey, an Americorp Volunteer stationed in Mississippi and a volunteer who traveled with Phil and Ana to New Orleans back in 2007, joined the group for the evening and provided some fresh insights.

Now onto today...

After learning The NOLA Tree was a Pepsi Refresh Grant $50,000 Finalist (Please Vote at www.refresheverything.com/theNOLAtree), we were fired up and ready to go.  Today, we had a new worksite, a plantation on Bayou Road in St. Bernard Parish.  We spent the day putting up a chain link fence, removing posts, and chopping down trees.  Alejandro and Adrian were pros with the ax,  Jorge was relentless removing the posts,  Max and Caroline are now available to put up fences in your yards!

This evening at Camp Hope was another special treat.  We were visited by Katy Reckdahl, a reporter for the Times-Picayune.  Katy gave birth to her now four-year old son, Hector (who accompanied her this evening), the day before Hurricane Katrina.  She shared her storm story, as well as her thoughts on public housing, the levees and the recovery effort.

It's hard to believe tomorrow is our last day of volunteering.  It promises to be a special Friday as we head into the French Quarter for an evening of food and music.

Peace,
Phil Bildner and Ana Galan, co-executive directors, The NOLA Tree