The following is based on an article I did for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints chronicling the efforts of volunteers from across the Mid South region in response to two recent hurricanes.
On a clear fall morning in Houma, Louisiana, 1,400 men, women, and children clad in yellow t-shirts gathered for one purpose. They had gathered from Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee to serve the people of Houma who had been devastated by Hurricane Gustav and then by Hurricane Ike. In a matter of three weeks, the region had endured two major storms. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from across the Mid South descended upon the South Louisiana community to assist in the clean up and help their brothers and sisters try and put together their lives.
This effort was spearheaded by Martin Luther King, III and his “Realizing the Dream” organization. Mr. King, contacted representatives from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who then called on members across the Mid South to mobilize and travel to Houma.
The Hattiesburg Stake of the Church group of congregations from the Pine Belt region stretching from Meridian in the east to Bogalusa, Louisiana in west known as was given the assignment to labor in the poorest area of Houma. Senator’s Circle is a public housing complex that was particularly devastated. Located in a low-lying area, the community experienced four to five feet of flood water, downed trees, and severe roof damage. According to Wayne Thibodeaux, Executive Director of Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority (pictured on the right below), the manpower, resources, and effort brought in by the 125 laborers offset budget cuts experienced by the Housing Authority. “Short of manpower and funding, there is no way that we could have accomplished what you have done in such a short time. The Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority’s budget was funded at 82 percent of last year’s budget. Therefore, significant cuts in personnel and funding would have made an effort like this nearly impossible.”
Troy Johnson, manager of Senator’s Circle (pictured on the left above), similarly noted that the effort and labor provided was something that they could not do. “You have no idea what this means to us. We could not have done what you did today. We don’t have the manpower or the maintenance to bring the property back up to par. This is such a blessing for us. We can’t tell you how grateful we are.”
Each volunteer served approximately 10 hours on Saturday. That service translated into approximately 14,000 man hours invested into the community. One local resident, Kevin Voisan remarked that there is no way that the community will ever be the same. “People will talk about this day for years to come. Seeing a sea of yellow shirts serving people they don’t even know is something remarkable. This has had an incredible impact on this community.”
Petal resident Michael Barr attended the day of service. His response was pointed when asked why he would travel so far to serve people he didn’t know. “I have four children and I want to let them see that service is important. I want them to know that serving others brings blessings to those served and those doing the serving.”
The event coincided with September 27 being a National Day of Service.
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