Words Can Never Describe.....

I arrived in New Orleans yesterday. Everything that I had seen on the television, horrific as it was, was magnified and larger than life. Taking I-10 into downtown, the icon of Katrina, the Superdome, rose from the land standing as sentry for a city destroyed.

I had spent the previous two weeks living in Winnie, Texas and working in Nederland, Texas, working to repair O.C. Wilson Middle School and Nederland High School. It was satisfying work. Especially the middle school, because the completion of the work allowed students to return. We started working at the high school on the same day that students returned and it felt somehow less necessary and carrying less of an impact for victims. So perhaps it was kismet when Janet Pace of the United Way, who I had been talking with two weeks previously, in Baton Rouge, called to tell me there was a medical clinic in New Orleans that needed volunteers.

As it turns out, the Common Ground Cooperative was far more than just a clinic. In fact, my background in communications has come into play and I am learning facets that I previously had little knowledge of. Common Ground is a truly grassroots effort, started immediately following hurricane Katrina. It is focusing on the more severly disadvantaged sectors of New Orleans, (Algiers, the 7th Ward, the 9th Ward, etc.) and providing and teaching residents to establish and maintain self-sufficiency. It is a truly inspirational group and I have only met a small percentage of those involved.

It is an impressive idea to me that I can post on my blog from here. One of many advances made by the throngs of dedicated volunteers that saw suffering and injustice and rushed to offer aid and comfort.

Well, this is my first entry and hopefully I will find time to post often.

Until Next Time...