March 09, 2006
Spring Break may conjure up thoughts of basking on a beach for
many college students, but for 18 St. John’s undergraduates—evenly
split between the Queens and Staten Island campuses—Spring Break
this year meant rolling up their sleeves and ripping out the rotted
interiors of five homes just blocks away from the Superdome in New
Orleans’ St. Joseph’s Parish. It was also an opportunity for
students from both campuses to work together.
The students, coincidentally, helped out in the mid-city area
the same week that President Bush toured another section, the lower
Ninth Ward, New Orleans’ most flood-ravaged neighborhood, while
calling upon Congress to honor his proposal to earmark an
additional $4.2 billion for Louisiana housing recovery.
Accompanied by Queens Campus Minister Rev. Tri Duong and Staten
Island Campus Minister Melissa Gibilaro, along with a graduate
student from each campus, the students who participated in the “New
Orleans Plunge” volunteered their services through Catholic
Charities’ “Operation Helping Hands” to restore homes in this
hurricane- and flood-damaged city. They stayed in the DePaul
Residence, a former home for retired Vincentian priests that had
served as a base for the Presentation Sisters in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina.
“We’re lucky that a house was made available to us,” says Rev.
Duong. “Students from other schools had to stay in tents.”
“We’re helping the elderly and disabled salvage their
belongings,” says Rev. Duong, speaking by cell phone from the work
site. “We’re all up by 7 a.m., work all day, and return to the
Residence where we make dinner. At night, we spend an hour together
reflecting on our experiences.” The group had relegated sightseeing
to the Saturday morning of their departure.
All of the 22 people on the trip have donned safety goggles and
masks to clean out ruined furnishings and belongings for people who
weren’t able to do it themselves, says Melissa Gibilaro. “We’ve
also ripped out walls, ceilings, and floors, and sanitized the
interiors up to the four-foot-high flood line to remove mold and
bacteria,” she explains.
The St. John’s contingent was among close to 200 college
students from a number of schools who’ve helped out this week
through Operation Helping Hands; so far 1,000 people have
volunteered with the group organized under the auspices of Catholic
Charities/Archdiocese of New Orleans, and 2,400 are slated to
participate in the next few months.
Media reports indicate that thousands of students converged on
New Orleans to volunteer through a variety of initiatives on their
week-long break.
In Their Own Words
Two students wrote down their thoughts each day and shared
their experiences during the evening sessions. Here are some of
their poignant comments:
“…my heart sunk to see how severely the homes had been
affected—how many dead, the animals that were found, and the fact
that seven months later, this is New Orleans…but we know that we
are helping, even if it is one home at a time…a family can go back
home.” —Corazon Grajales, sophomore, Staten Island campus
These people really just [got] up and left when they were forced
out by the water. Being able to be a small part of rebuilding (or
really, in our case, tearing down) has truly been an honor... It is
Tuesday of my week in New Orleans, but there are many more days
left of rebuilding for this city.”—Abby Furness, junior, Queens
campus
“The owner of the house watched…as we took apart the only
material possession she had left…Her presence had the most profound
effect on me. I was awed by her faith in God and her perseverance
as an elderly woman alone and unmarried, with children living
across state lines. Suddenly I realized the importance of hope. No
matter which obstacles God places in your path, you must hold your
head high and press on.”
—Crystal Vera, junior, Staten Island campus
“During a short water break, I stood outside the house and
looked at the growing pile of debris. Then, I looked beyond the
garbage to a sign advertising the rebuilding of New Orleans. The
logo for the organization, a phoenix, is a mythological bird which
rises from deadly fire to new life…Our group is helping the city to
rise like a phoenix to rebirth.”—Hannah Spencer, freshman, Queens
campus
In addition to their hard work, the students contributed $100
each to defray the cost of their six-day trip. Faculty
contributions, students’ fundraising efforts and assistance from
the University also underwrote the New Orleans Plunge.