Building hope...

Trading in swimsuits for toolbelts, students get their hands dirty over spring break

Crystal Robichaux

Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Lagniappe

Media Credit: Crystal Robichaux

Ashley Rourk, University of Louisiana at Lafayette psychology graduate from Scott, and Reid Amedee, sports science senior from Houma, secure siding on a Habitat for Humanity house during X-treme Spring Break.

Media Credit: Crystal Robichaux

Allen Clark, psychology sophomore from Thibodaux, and Michelle Harper, University of Louisiana at Lafayette elementary education senior from Georgia, give testimonies of why they chose to volunteer X-treme Spring Break April 11. Also pictured are Mia Coulon, chemistry junior from Thibodaux; University President Stephen Hulbert; state senator Reggie Dupre and Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph.

Sawdust flies into the air as an electric tool cuts a board. Paint fumes escape from containers as the liquid medium is rolled onto walls. Hammers drive nails into siding-a constant, piercing sound. Amidst the construction, children ride their bikes up and down the streets of Bon Jovi Boulevard. Other residents relax on swings in front of their homes, observing as the remainder of their neighborhood takes shape-a neighborhood where friends, family and strangers are building hope.

Residents of the Habitat for Humanity community in Gray, La., have encountered many volunteers since the start of construction for their homes and their neighbors' homes, including volunteers from various states and countries. On April 9-13, college students from five Louisiana post-secondary schools helped construct homes in the neighborhood during their spring breaks.

About 75 students and faculty members from Nicholls, Southeastern Louisiana University, Grambling University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Baton Rouge Community College participated in the second annual X-treme Spring Break. The University of Louisiana System established the program to encourage student involvement in rebuilding Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Jarvis Burse, a family and consumer sciences sophomore at Baton Rouge Community College, is from New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina did not damage his home, but Burse said he felt a desire to help those who lost everything.

"I felt that it was the perfect opportunity to lend a hand and reach out to people and support families affected by the hurricanes," Burse said. "Because I'm from New Orleans, it's my way of giving back." During a week when most college students pile into cars destined for the beach, the students helping build Habitat homes weren't seeking sand, waves or margaritas.

For Michelle Harper, an elementary education senior at ULL from Georgia, this past spring break was her last as a college student. "I wanted to be a part of something that would impact myself and others in a positive way," Harper said.

She not only achieved that goal but also learned a few new things. "I built a house today," she said. "I hurricane-proofed a decking... I had never swung a hammer in my life."

Although Reid Amedee, a sports science senior at Nicholls from Houma, had done construction work before participating in X-treme Spring Break, he was not sure of what to expect. "I was a little nervous about building a home, but the [Habitat for Humanity] crew was laid back and explained everything well," he said.

The building of homes on Bon Jovi Boulevard began sixteen months ago, and fifty homes have been built, Jeanne Autin, executive director of the Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity, said. Twenty-five homes are under construction, and work will begin on the final six lots once the 25 are completed, totaling 81 homes in the neighborhood. Hurricane victims own the majority of the homes, Autin said.

Ashley Rourk, a psychology graduate of ULL from Scott, Louisiana, said she enjoyed meeting the residents of the community.

"I get joy out of seeing people who couldn't have afforded a crew to put their house together," Rourk said. "We're all they can count on."

Barbara Shanklin has lived in her Habitat home for four weeks. Having lived in the Ninth Ward during Hurricane Katrina, water covered the top of her home after the storm.

Although the hurricane's effects devastated her, Shanklin has found hope in her new home. She said knowing who built her home and being able to watch it being built is one of the reasons she loves and appreciates it.

"I'm grateful for Habitat for taking me into their arms and guiding me through this," Shanklin said.

Emelda Fountain and her grandmother have lived down Bon Jovi Boulevard since October. Although Fountain said she looks forward to seeing the neighborhood finished, she doesn't mind the construction. The sound of hammering is a nice wake-up call, she said.

"It really is nice because you know something good is going on, and it's not just noise," Fountain said. "You know that hammering is going to benefit somebody."

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