[StBernard] Volunteers of America Organizes Army of 350 to Rebuild Parts of St. Bernard Parish

[Westley Annis]

Volunteers of America Organizes Army of 350 to Rebuild Parts of St. Bernard
Parish

June 8 'Day of Service' will focus on restoring area high school, church
while building community


Volunteers of America, a national leader in supporting communities by
providing affordable housing and other social services, will dispatch an
army of more than 350 volunteers to help rebuild parts of St. Bernard Parish
that remain devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The day of service coincides
with Volunteers of America's National Conference scheduled June 7-10 in New
Orleans and is part of the organization's long-term commitment to rebuild
the Gulf Coast region.


When: Sunday, June 8 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.


Where: Locations throughout St. Bernard Parish, La., including Hannan High
School, 2501 Archbishop Hannan Blvd. in Meraux; Val Reiss Park, 3900
Palminaso Blvd. in Chalmette; Violet Park No. 2, 6609 East St. Bernard
Highway in Violet; and City of Hope Church, 7451 West St. Bernard Highway in
Arabi.


Who: More than 350 volunteers from across the United States, organized by
Volunteers of America and IMPACT Ministries. A coalition of 20 clergy
members from churches throughout St. Bernard Parish also has been involved
in rebuilding the community on a grassroots level. Volunteers will work to
rebuild recreational facilities at the storm-ravaged high school, including
landscaping and renovating three football fields. They also will restore the
basketball courts at Violet Park No. 2 and perform drywall installation,
painting and landscaping at the church.


Benefiting: The residents of St. Bernard Parish, which remains devastated
almost three years after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.


In addition to providing workers, Volunteers of America donated $30,000 in
materials, including a new air conditioning unit, to help rebuild the
church.


"Our mission for more than a century has been to serve people and
communities in vulnerable situations," said Charles Gould, national
president and chief executive officer of Volunteers of America. "Most of the
volunteers participating in this day of service are Volunteers of America's
own employees and their families. In our line of work, it is important for
us to go out into the community, get our hands dirty and connect personally
with those in need. We hope this effort will help us establish stronger
bonds with the people we serve every day."


At noon, Volunteers of America will host two block parties, one at City of
Hope Church in Arabi and the other at Memorial Christian Fellowship Baptist
Church, located at 5816 East Judge Perez Drive in Violet, for approximately
500 residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. The events will include
food, music and children's games and are designed to help restore a sense of
community among neighbors torn apart by the storm.


"During the past three years, Volunteers of America has made rebuilding the
New Orleans region a top priority," said Jim LeBlanc, president and chief
executive officer of Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans. "We hope
the work we perform in St. Bernard Parish will help that community move one
step closer to re-establishing what was taken away by Hurricane Katrina."


The organization has served the area's most vulnerable residents since 1896
and is working today to build affordable housing that will allow displaced
residents to return and rebuild lost communities. Volunteers of America
established the "Coming Back Home" initiative to create more than 1,000
units of affordable rental housing and has partnered with other nonprofits
through Katrina Aid Today to touch the lives of nearly 200,000 people with
much-needed care and services.


Volunteers of America is one of the largest nonprofit developers and
providers of affordable housing nationwide and has been a leader in
rebuilding homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina:


    --  In March, Volunteers of America broke ground on The Terraces on
Tulane,
        a 200-unit community for low-income seniors located in New Orleans'
        Mid City neighborhood. The development -- which will provide medical
        services and amenities including an on-site exercise room and
computer
        lab -- is expected to be complete by late 2009.
    --  In August 2007, Volunteers of America opened the newly renovated The
        Duvernay Residence on Canal Street. The 70-unit facility for
formerly
        homeless adults sustained more than $600,000 in damage from
Hurricane
        Katrina. Additional units have been restored at the 3901 Tulane
Avenue
        Residence, which also sustained significant damage from the
hurricane.
    --  In partnership with the Major League Baseball Players Trust and
other
        major donors, Volunteers of America established the Rental Housing
        Development Fund, which will be used to develop affordable rental
        housing in the Gulf Coast region.
    --  Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans recently partnered with
        students from Parsons The New School for Design to develop a plan
for a
        mixed-use, mixed-income community along the Mississippi riverfront
as
        part of the JPMorgan Chase Community Development Competition. The
        competition invites graduate schools with urban planning programs to
        work with a community-based nonprofit on a project that helps with
        organization with a real estate need.



Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans served more than 62,000 people
in 2007, not counting disaster services provided to more than 166,000
individuals. The organization serves 16 parishes in the region and provides
hundreds of units of affordable housing, a variety of services for the
elderly and disabled, and support for those living with HIV and AIDS, among
its many programs.


About Volunteers of America

Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization
dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full
potential. Through hundreds of human service programs, including housing and
healthcare, Volunteers of America helps more than 2 million people in over
400 communities. Since 1896, our ministry of service has supported and
empowered America's most vulnerable groups, including at-risk youth, the
frail elderly, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and
families, people with disabilities, and those recovering from addictions.
Our work touches the mind, body, heart -- and ultimately the spirit -- of
those we serve, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective
programs and services. For more information about Volunteers of America,
visit www.VolunteersofAmerica.org.



/PRNewswire-USNewswire -- June 4/