1000’s of students converge on Louisiana to rebuild Katrina and Rita victims’ futures

By JANICE TARLECKI

The first thing one notices during the approach over the bridge into the Ninth Ward of New Orleans is the pungent odor permeating the air. An overwhelming stench of black mold, raw sewage, and death is hanging in the bluegreen skies surrounding the broken levee of the mighty Mississippi.

Power lines hang in the trees, children’s shoes lay in the streets, and rubble is strewn in heaps for miles. Broken homes and broken lives are abundant in one of the nation’s oldest and most historical cities.

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina poured her powerful surge into New Orleans, leaving thousands dead, and even more homeless. Nearly seven months later, the majority of those left in the wake of Katrina’s rage are still trying to pick up their lives, in what must appear to be an almost hopeless task. “The amount of work still to be done is so vast that many have died since the disaster from the overwhelming stress,” according to Sammy Pugh, working with the Army Corp. of Engineers.

In what appears to be a monumental and seemingly endless task, a bright ray of joy shone a light of hope into the lives of thousands over spring break, at the hands of thousands of college students from all over the United States. Over 35 MHCC students and faculty joined forces with Campus Crusade for Christ, Good Shepherd Church, and other Oregon colleges, gutting houses, rebuilding and serving the communities firsthand.

The MHCC Campus Crusade teams were led by students and club leaders David Knepprath and Josiah Schlender, MHCC PE/Health teacher Daryl Broadsword, College Pastor Dan Franklin of Good Shepherd Community Church, and student team leaders Reed Pitney and Mark Harris.

In the two months of preparation for the trip, the students fundraised by serving refreshments and ushering at the MHCC “Fiddler on the Roof” musical, among other activities, in order to use their spring break for the hurting families in New Orleans. The goal was to spend their time and energies touching the hearts and lives of many people, from children to seniors, and all income levels.