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St. Philip's Church Sponsors Work Group to New Orleans
Sore muscles, skinned knuckles, and very full hearts were some of the souvenirs that thirteen volunteers from St. Philip's Church in Garrison brought back from a recent work trip to New Orleans. Many of the volunteers, who were of all ages, had previously worked on a St. Philip's Habitat for Humanity project.
"When we contacted Annunciation Episcopal Church, located in the heart of New Orleans, we were told the priority need was volunteers from the building trades," said Frank Geer, Rector at St. Philip's. "Much of the clean up phase of the recovery is over, and now the laborious, skilldemanding phase of rebuilding homes one by one faces New Orleans."
Because St. Philip's had participated in building a Habitat home, the Church had an inventory of skilled people both from within the church and the larger community. This group partnered with the Annunciation Church (where the group stayed for five nights) and the Broadmoor Improvement Association, an umbrella community group coordinating the recovery efforts.
The two crew chiefs for the St. Philip's group were Phil Guttridge and Jim Platz. "We were able to focus on total renovation in one home and complete two bedrooms and a bath on one floor. We installed a new kitchen, and when the gas connection is made, the family can move from their FEMA trailer next door to their home," said Platz. "We also did smaller projects in five other homes." Guttridge noted that those the group worked with - elderly women seeking to return to their home on a block that usually has one or no residents - have unending determination and courage: "They just need a hand, and the hand most needed is from the buildings trades. When building trades people lead the group, other volunteers can assist due to the supervision of skilled workers."
The group was also assisted by a volunteer Louisiana plumber, Herbert Guidry, and by the donation of power tools by New Orleans area craftsman, Lee Charles Harding.
Vestry member Jim Bopp was the coordinator for the trip. Others participating were Mike and Lynn Carano, Phil Guttridge, Jim Platz, Ken Burton, Jan Spalding, Gil Burke, Jennifer Berkun, Jay Palefsky, Will Marsh, a student at George Washington University, and Emily Marsh and Faye Rice, students at Haldane High School.
For more information about the project, contact the Rev. Frank Geer at 424-3571.
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