[StBernard] 'Nothing left to rely on but their spirits'

[Westley Annis]

Ashley Kimmel:

Wow...how good to hear.  You, my friend, have written a message that is sure
to touch many.  Your words are strong and meaningful.  Thank you for being a
part of this recovery.  
-cwm

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	'Nothing left to rely on but their spirits'
	Ashley Kimmel - Violet, La.
	
	I am currently a resident of Camp Hope in Violet, La., just a few
miles from
	the city of New Orleans. Violet is located in St. Bernard Parish,
where 100%
	of the county was declared uninhabitable after the hurricanes came
through. 
	
	Camp Hope is a haven for volunteers and a few locals who seek a roof
over
	their heads and food in their stomachs during the intense rebuilding
	process. More than that, it is a place to converse and unwind after
the
	emotionally draining experiences we volunteers and residents have on
a daily
	basis. It's a blessing to have such a place - even with
half-finished walls,
	clogged toilets, concrete floors and steel-beamed ceilings and
hallways.
	This is where I call home for now, and I feel very lucky. 
	
	I came to New Orleans not knowing what to expect. Like many, I was
glued to
	the TV on Aug. 29, 2005, and into the following long weeks and
months as the
	world awaited the outcome. I remember being so confused about how
this could
	happen, why very little was being done and how I could be living my
life as
	if nothing was going on, as if the chaos on TV were some movie or
reality
	show. I took things for granted and forgot about the unfortunate
people in
	the Gulf Coast region. 
	
	Then I got a phone call. It was a woman from AmeriCorps, a national
service
	organization funded by the federal government. I had apparently
filled out
	an application somewhere along the way, in unsuccessful attempts to
find a
	job. She wanted to know whether I was still interested. I, of
course, jumped
	at the opportunity and was hired shortly after my interview. About
25 days
	later, I was in Denver training to be a corps member. It was there I
found
	out that my first project would be in St. Bernard Parish in
Louisiana,
	working with the St. Bernard Project, a non-profit rebuilding
organization. 
	
	Our journey there took us right through the heart of the
destruction. I
	could never have prepared myself for what I saw: the houses and
businesses
	in shambles, the real-life faces of the residents, the temporary
housing
	situations, the lack of anything familiar. I couldn't have imagined
how bad
	things really were.
	
	I'm convinced that the people with the least are the people who help
the
	most. It's the norm to see a man or woman leaving the shambles of
their own
	homes to help paint their neighbors'. It's the norm to have a
stranger carry
	your building supplies out of the Home Depot. It's the norm to be
greeted
	with a smile and a firm handshake by the same person you've seen
five times
	that day. It's the norm to be fed a home-cooked meal at every house
you
	visit. This is the spirit of the Gulf region. These are the people
who have
	nothing left to rely on but their spirits. 
	
	I've seen a grown man cry after coming through the doors of the St.
Bernard
	Project's office because he wasn't able to humble himself enough to
ask for
	help. I've seen a man who finished working on his home in June 2005
- after
	spending 22 years on it - dance around his living room because the
walls
	were being painted. I've seen a woman afraid to enter her home, even
though
	the project was finished with it for quite a while, because she
wasn't ready
	to readjust to a different life again. I've seen real people, like
you or
	me, with real emotions and real stories, in the midst of pain and
chaos,
	succeeding and striving to get things back to "normal." This is the
spirit
	of the region - and it's contagious.