[StBernard] Couple find a mission in St. Bernard

[Westley Annis]

Couple find a mission in St. Bernard
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
When Liz McCartney and Zack Rosenburg came to St. Bernard Parish as
volunteers 16 months ago, they had no plans to move to Louisiana. Now, they
can't imagine leaving. 

"We're here to stay," Zack says. 

The couple went back to their jobs and lives in Washington but couldn't stop
thinking about the plight of St. Bernard, where virtually every house was
unlivable after the storm. 

"What shocked us was seeing people who had owned houses, paid taxes and
fought in wars suddenly have nothing," Zack says. 

"These were people who played by the rules and trusted the government," Liz
says. 

The couple felt compelled to do something. And in May 2006, Zack, a criminal
defense lawyer, and Liz, a teacher, bought a truck and headed south,
determined to help rebuild St. Bernard Parish one house at a time. 

"It seemed simple to us. People wanted to come home," Zack says. 


If it's broke, fix it 

They had high hopes, $30,000 they'd collected, and not a shred of building
experience. 

"My dad wouldn't even let me use his tools," Zack says. 

But they were guided by this principle: If you believe there's something
wrong in the world, fix it. And they found plenty of others who wanted to
join them. 

Frank White was there at the beginning. He let them set up shop on the first
floor of a building he owns in Chalmette. 

"Frank is an incredibly generous guy who worked side by side with us to redo
the building," Zack says. "He taught us everything about building and helped
us understand the proud people of this community." 

In August, the St. Bernard Project opened its doors at 8324 Parc Place with
the mission of bringing families home. 

A key to its success has been a United Way partnership. 

"People in St. Bernard have always given their fair share, so they don't
feel so bad about asking for help," Zack says. 


'America cares' 

The partnership also served as an incentive for other organizations and
companies to lend a hand. And soon, they had a dedicated staff and an army
of volunteers from close to home and around the country. 

"America cares about this," Zack says. "It was really powerful to see how
people get that this is the right thing to do." 

They have focused on rebuilding homes for the elderly, people with
disabilities, and families with school-age children, but they want to keep
going until everyone who wants to can come home. 

"The only things we're limited by are volunteers and building supplies,"
Zach says. "This is a solvable problem." 

So far, they have rebuilt more than 80 houses, and crews are working on 18
now. 

"There's a very nice ripple effect each time a house gets done," Liz says.
"If one or two families are back on a block, it means other families can
come back, too. Every rebuilt house spreads hope." 

. . . . . . . 

For information about the St. Bernard Project, go to stbernardproject.org or
call (504) 277-6831. 

Sheila Stroup can be reached at sstroup at timespicayune.com or (985) 898-4831