[StBernard] More than 1, 000 Lutheran Volunteers help in St. Bernard Parish

[Westley Annis]

More than 1,000 Lutheran Volunteers clean and help all over St. Bernard

Groups work for three days - bright orange shirts flood parish

 

More than 1,000 Lutheran volunteers descended on St. Bernard Parish,
arriving in 25 busses daily to help with local recovery and clean-up efforts
over a three day period at the end of July.

 

Crystal Wells, director of the St. Bernard Parish Department of
Volunteerism, coordinated the volunteers who were here for three days as
part of the 2009 Youth Gathering for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America. More than 37,000 Lutheran teenagers, adult leaders and other
volunteers came to invest in sweat equity, in both their faith and the area
impacted by Katrina while they attended the gathering at the Ernest N.
Morial Convention Center and the Louisiana Superdome. 

 

"The effort actually went on for 14 days as the Department of Volunteerism
organized volunteers who arrived early in the week and others who stayed
longer to help in St. Bernard," Wells said. "We had many people say they
want to come back."

 

St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro Jr. said the effort was an
overwhelming success.

 

"We are so grateful to the volunteers for their efforts to help us," Taffaro
said. "It was a wonderful experience for the volunteers and the residents
they affected. Over 625 cases of water were provided to keep the volunteers
hydrated, and we had no injuries or incidents of heat stroke." 

 

Wells said Polly Boudreaux and Emile Pelliteri organized all neighborhood
efforts by working months in advance with the neighborhood associations in
order to address their most essential needs. 

 

Frank Dowd of Hope Worldwide provided all of the tools, including hundreds
of rakes, shovels and wheelbarrows. St. Bernard Parish Government provided
nearly 3,000 black trash bags and some assistance from the Public Works
Department. Home Depot of Chalmette also provided free trash bags.

 

Parish Historian Bill Hyland, who also is parish government Director of the
Los Islenos Museum Complex, coordinated with officials from St. Bernard
Catholic Church to pressure-wash tombs and put a fresh coat of paint on as
many as possible with the Los Islenos Heritage and Cultural Society
providing materials. District Fire Chief Mike Tregle helped with pressure
washing at St. Bernard Cemetery.

 

Pastor Henry Ballard of Christian Fellowship in Violet provided materials,
shade and a historical lecture while volunteers painted tombs at Merrick
Cemetery in Violet. Pastor Raymond Smith had community help from First
Baptist Church in Verret painting tombs at the Verret cemetery. 

 

"I wanted the volunteers to participate at the cemeteries that needed help,"
Wells said. "The volunteers just loved the idea and enjoyed hearing the
history of the area.  They received many thumbs up from passers-by and
everyone offered their gratitude."

 

Sharon at Sharon's Store in Yscloskey was very helpful with the thousands of
volunteers, providing ice and shade and local lore to those who cleaned up
Shell Beach, Alluvial City, Yscloskey and Hopedale.  

 

Steve Brandt of Chalmette at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Chalmette
provided a truck, trailer and helped pick up the black bags after the crews
finished filling them.

 

Boudreaux said neighborhoods were given the opportunity to provide
clean-up/beautification projects for their specific area and were encouraged
to have residents join the volunteers.

 

Projects included:

*               Cleaning overgrown lots from the sidewalk to the street
(giving children and walkers a clear path and keeping them out of the
street) 

*               Picking up debris and trash to help to sell neighborhoods to
prospective buyers from Old Arabi all the way to Shell Beach 

*               Planting oak trees on Judge Perez Drive at the entrance to
Lexington and Joe Davies 

*               Landscaping the entrances to Angelique Estates and
Jumonville Estates 

*               cleaning and edging along major boulevards in Buccaneer
South, Rediscover District C, Lexington and Carolyn Park 

*               Refurbishing Blue Bird Park in Chalmette Vista and the
Angelique Estates park

*               Neighborhood plantings in the Karen Drive neighborhood.

 

"This was a tremendous opportunity to initiate major clean-up across our
parish.  The energy and enthusiasm of the orange shirted Lutheran Youth and
their chaperones was heard, seen and felt as they picked up over 1500 bags
full of trash and debris," Boudreaux said.  "Neighborhood recovery has taken
a giant step forward.  And, we hope the efforts over the 3 days in July will
serve to inspire our own youth and residents to actively participate in
KEEPING ST. BERNARD CLEAN year round. A big thank you to neighborhood
leaders who worked alongside the volunteers and who work to inspire their
residents each day!"

 

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