Students helping New Orleans clean up

[MARCH 23, 2006]  Forget the sand, sun and fun of spring break. A new idea of helping those in need while away from regular studies influenced 10 Lincoln College students and one LC graduate to spend a portion of their spring break helping people in St. Bernard's Parish, near the city of New Orleans, to clean up debris left from last summer's Hurricane Katrina.

Participating in the "Opportunity Rocks 2006: Rebuilding the Gulf Coast" program allows college students from across the country to travel to the New Orleans area and help with cleanup in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Students representing Lincoln College were Zach Boulb, Deiy Shuff and David Edwards, all of Lincoln; Claudia Pineda of Berwyn; Alyssa Ciolli of Chicago; Ashley Davis of Sandwich; Bridget Dietz of Libertyville; Katie Hughes of Naperville; Zach Landers of Lawndale; and Dawn "Copper" Rowell of Bourbonnais. Lincoln College 2001 graduate Sarah Bailey also participated in the program.

Lincoln College faculty adviser Chris Gray says the group was hit with an emotional sledgehammer when they arrived. "Beyond the emotional strains, the physical work was overwhelming," he said. "The home we were in was slammed with an 8-foot coastal surge and then later by a 4-foot surge from the broken levees. Everything in the home was ruined. Our task of removing all but the structural elements (studs and the toilet) seemed impossible. But for the dedication, teamwork and persistence of our students, the task was accomplished, and our group felt a tiny bit of glimmer in a Gulf Coast region that lacks any shine."

Lincoln College and University of Wisconsin-Madison students join forces in helping clean up a home in New Orleans. Pictured (left to right) are Zach Landers, Katie Hughes, Alyssa Ciolli, David Edwards, Daiy Shuff, Chris Gray, Dawn Rowell, Sara Means, Sarah Bailey, Sarah Swift, Megan Kingston, Ali Mears, Ashley Davis and Zach Boulb.

Gray said he noticed an attitude reflecting a lack of hope from the people who are trying to get their life back in order. He also acknowledged that the work the Lincoln College students did was minimal when compared with the other 150,000 homes that require the same work.

"The homeowner of the property we gutted was on-site and shared with us his story of survival," he said. "He has now closed one chapter in his life and can decide which chapter he will address next: to rebuild or to move on."

[Lincoln College news release]

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