A Great Week in Who Dat Nation

Hey Everyone,

The DeVos Sport Business Program just went on their 24th trip to New Orleans with the Hope For Stanley Alliance. As always it was a great trip that saw 23 DeVos students give nearly 450 hours of their time to help rebuild the city of New Orleans. We got to spend time with the Stewart family, building relationships within our own group, and even got to watch a great game between the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Hornets and even got a group picture with the New Orleans Hornets dancers on the court after the game. For me, it was great to see the city so alive and filled with hope that is surely partially brought by the recent New Orleans Saints Super Bowl victory. I always enjoy going back to the Crescent City and continue to be blessed by the people I meet and the time I spend in this great city. As always after a big trip, I choose to (instead of blogging) allow you instead to read some of the reflections from our students that went on the trip. I hope you enjoy their thoughts as much as I did!

Thanks for your support,

Devan Dignan
Hope For Stanley Graduate Assistant

"Visiting New Orleans for the third time was just as gratifying as the previous trips. It was great to see more and more progress being made to rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard areas. During this trip I was fortunate enough to be able to work on the same house as I did in December. I was able to see many improvements to some the projects we previously began on the house. Unfortunately we were not able to meet any the homeowners this time but the fact that we worked towards getting someone back into a homes makes each and every trip very worthwhile. I also hope to be able attend many more trips and one day see the family living in their finished home."

~ Wayne Clark, UCF Student, DeVos Sport Business Minor

"I was really curious to see how I would feel when I arrived in New Orleans after my first trip in August. Our first day out to the worksite was eerily similar to that first time in August, everyone is quiet and just taking in the surroundings. Instead of seeing everything for the first time I now was able to see the changes that had occurred. Amusingly, I found one signal of a return to normality, a new Wal-Mart. While there was progress it was heartbreaking to still see so much that was left to do. In a way it makes you feel hopeless, like no matter how much time goes by is anything really going to change? However, I think it just shows us that much more how we need to not forget about NOLA. I think too many times people get caught up in the hype of the latest tragedy, for instance the devastation that has happened in Haiti. It always aggravates me when I tell people I’m going to build houses in New Orleans and they give me that look like “we’re still doing that?” Its like they think that time has healed everything. I’m so proud to be part of an organization that is not interested in a “one and done” kind of experience. I’m amazed and proud to say that this was Hope for Stanley’s 24^th trip.

What amazes the most about these volunteer trips is how much I get out of them. At first it may seem as if I’m really sacrificing a lot to give up my Spring Break to go build houses. I honestly feel I have gotten more from these trips then I can ever give back. I’ll be the first to tell you I’m not the type that you would want to call if you needed help with house construction. One of my biggest qualities is being a klutz. I will always be remembered from the trip in August for stapling my hand. The empowerment that comes from saying I am now able to hang drywall or insulate a house is priceless. It makes you appreciate so much what you have been given. I remember I used to complain so much when my parents would want to go to Home Depot for something to improve on our house, now I realize how lucky we are to be able to have a home that we can improve upon.

The most memorable part of this trip is definitely the bonds that I made with my teammates. A lot of the time it’s easy for us to get caught up in our own groups of friends while we’re in Orlando. When you’re scraping paint off a house for hours you can get to know someone like you never have before. While at the time the tedious work was not the best but at the end of the week seeing how much we transformed that house was great. Just making the trip itself was also a bonding experience. There’s nothing like jamming out to some old school Nsync and everyone, and I mean everyone, singing the lyrics as loud as they can. One of the biggest triumphs of the trip might have been the fact that I, a UT alumni, was able to sit in the front of our van with a UK guy and listen to the Vols and Cats play in the SEC tournament on the way home (thanks Joey for not rubbing it in too bad). Now, how’s that for ethics and diversity?

~ Natalie Welch; DeVos Class of 2011

"We just got back from our spring break trip to New Orleans. It was our third trip as a DeVos class and the first without members of the previous class joining us. It was once again a wonderful experience and a great bonding opportunity for our class. There were 22 of us on this trip, which is the largest contingent that a single DeVos class has sent on any spring break trip. We were able to contribute approximately 5000 hours of service towards rebuilding the St. Bernard area outside of New Orleans.

What was apparent to me on this trip was that our efforts are not going unnoticed or unappreciated. This past week we got to work with a group from Georgetown, and they seemed to be just as passionate about volunteering their time to help others as we are. It is great to see more and more volunteers from around the country each time we go back. This is important because we need to spread the word that New Orleans has not been rebuilt and still needs a lot of help and support. There were so many volunteers working with the St. Bernard project this week that they were able to split volunteers into two 6-hour shifts to maximize the day and get as much work done as possible. I can only imagine how extensive the improvement in the area was over the past week. The house that I worked on was a senior home designed to house elderly residents that have no other place to go. When we walked in to the home on Tuesday we saw a skeleton of a house, just the framework was up. When we left on Friday I could not believe how much work was accomplished on the house. The drywall had been put up over the entire house and the majority of the house had been through the mudding process and was ready for the next phase of development.

Another eye opening experience for me was experiencing Camp Hope. There are a number of amazing individuals, shout out to James and Aaron, who donate months and even years of their lives living in the destroyed areas of New Orleans and supervising the volunteers at each site. Our house was a block away from Camp Hope, which is where many of these volunteers live. We saw the tents that they sleep in and the communal bathrooms/changing rooms that they have in the stripped building. What was so impressive was the enlightened and lively attitude that all of the volunteers had despite their current living situation. They truly enjoyed giving their time to rebuilding the city and helping others. They were also kind enough to invite us to dinner throughout the week."

~ Mike Connolly; DeVos Class of 2011


"WHO DAT, WHO DAT, WHO DAT SAID DEY GON BEAT DEM SAINTS? From the moment we arrived in my hometown, New Orleans, Louisiana we saw signs…signs of triumph and victory. This shows how integral sports are in times of tragedy, and how it brings us together. Five years after Hurricane Katrina took down the city of New Orleans, the Saints gave us a Championship, something to cheer about. Each trip we take to New Orleans, our mission is to lend a hand in getting a victim of Katrina back into their homes. If it’s painting a house, putting up drywall, chipping paint, mold remediation, insulation, or framing a window, we completed the project to the best of our ability.

As we pulled up to the house we were going to work on during the week, our first thought was “a senior citizen home, this is small.” But once we walked inside, we saw two bathrooms, and four bedrooms in this one story home. This house was unique in the fact that there wasn’t a specific owner, but we knew we were rebuilding for older men and women. This specific trip was different, in all, because we had the second shift, 2-8 p.m. Also, the house I worked on was two blocks from Camp Hope, so during our lunch breaks we were able to join other volunteers with a meal which was prepared by Camp Hope volunteers. Many of the volunteers lived at camp hope, there were tents lined up in the backyard, a lot of them were showering during lunch/dinner…their lives, for months, were spent at this camp and rebuilding homes.

One thing that was evident to me during this trip was our ability to work together, complete the best work, and also enjoy putting up drywall or mudding. We were fortunate enough to work alongside another group, because we were able to appreciate each other’s positive attitudes and work ethic. While they complained, we danced, sang, joked along with being productive in our tasks each day. There were many firsts for me during this trip…first time using a drill, first time putting up drywall, first time using a drywall router…each day I became better, and by the end of the week I was a pro at each one.

Every time the trip ends, I’m excited about the next one. So, I am looking forward to joining the new class in August for my third trip to New Orleans"

~ Rita Grayson; DeVos Class of 2011