[StBernard] Churches focus on fixing Louisiana couple's home

[Westley Annis]

Churches focus on fixing Louisiana couple's home
By Melanie D. Hayes
melanie.d.hayes at indystar.com

George and Dixie Smith make a point not to forget about the victims of
Hurricane Katrina.

They have spent months helping devastated families. Members of their church,
Carmel Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and Speedway Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) often join the Smiths.

Sunday, another group of about 15 will depart for a week to help out again.

The churches have formed the project "One Home at a Time." Instead of doing
small jobs at many houses, they focus on one house to fix up so the family
can move back in.

Over the last several months, volunteers have made trips to work on Ronnie
and Janet Keller's home in Chalmette, La., in St. Bernard Parish. The Keller
home had been under 10 feet of water and was uninhabitable.

"Poor Ronnie and Jan Keller. They have just been struggling so hard," said
George Smith, 64, Carmel. "They are so discouraged. It's just sad to see so
much devastation. It's hard to get your mind around it."

The Smiths and other volunteers had been gutting home after home, and met
the Kellers while they were gutting their home in March. The couple have
been living in a Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer on their front
yard since the hurricane hit.

"When we went down there and spent a week, we developed a relationship with
the Kellers," said Jean Brandenburg, 56, Speedway, a member of Speedway
Christian Church. "We talked about how it would be nice to also do their
drywall and come back and paint.

"The more we talked about it, we liked the idea of seeing the house all the
way through to the end. We were not really knowing what happened beyond the
gutting. We thought it would just feel good to everybody involved to see a
house completed."

Volunteers already have gutted the house, sprayed it with bleach water to
kill mold, and have replaced the roof, said Brandenburg, who will leave on
her fifth trip Sunday.

During the coming week, the plan is to do the electrical wiring, replace the
eaves, move a wall and more.

In the following months, volunteers will fix termite damage, add flooring
and cabinets, paint and, if possible, pay for large kitchen appliances.

The Smiths plan to stay and work on the house until April, when they expect
the home to be done. As they have for almost five months, the couple will
live in their recreational vehicle while volunteering.

The cost of fixing the home will come to about $25,000, Brandenburg said.
Donations and fundraisers at the churches brought in most of the money.

Brandenburg doesn't think it would be possible for the two churches to
continue to raise money to rebuild other homes but hopes other churches join
the partnership and adopt families to help through the "One Home at a Time"
project. Members of Geist Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have been
volunteering and may help more in the future, Smith said.

Smith believes people and churches may be more inclined to help if they can
see the fruits of their labor in a finished home.

"It's just heartbreaking," he said. "You wouldn't think that a year and a
half since (hurricanes) Katrina and Rita, in a country as big as this . . .
we can't get people suffering from the hurricane back in their homes. If
there weren't volunteers, nothing would get done."





Call Star reporter Melanie D. Hayes at (317) 444-2613.