Huntington's Habitat for Humanity Club Brings Hope
The devastation wreaked when Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans still looms large in that southern city. Huntington High School's Habitat for Humanity chapter visited there this spring, continuing its mission to help rebuild homes and hope.
Huntington club members have travelled to New Orleans five times since 2007. They have cleaned mud and water from community centers, raised walls for new homes, built staircases, framed windows and doors, spackled, painted and more. Two years ago they returned to a home they had framed out in 2007, revisiting its owner who is now able to enjoy her residence.
The Huntington Town Board recognized Huntington's Habitat for Humanity chapter last June with a certificate of recognition for its efforts in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. This year, the fifth group from the high school to do so under the direction of high school dean Robert Gilmor returned to New Orleans, and for the first time in five years began building a home from the ground up.
The group making the trek south included students Brielle Blatt, Phil Cadorette, Najeem Caleb, Kristina Casale, Aly Coleman, Diana Frank, Michael Gilmor (a student at John Glenn High School and Mr. Gilmor's son), Sarah Gordon, Kristin Hartmann, Diana Harvey, Ben Jensen, Jillian Kocis, Shayne Larkin, Erin Lasorsa, Jacqueline McAllister, Alex Martinolich, Samar Nadi, Chris Napolitano, Brittany Oliva, Jimmy Oliva, Samantha Palmer, Michelle Rosenbauer, Michael Serbanoiu, Marissa Schedler, and Dylan Tuozzo, along with Mr. Gilmor, high school security staff member Youlanda Carey, parent Janice Tuozzo and science teacher Craig McKee. The contingent spent a week making a difference and exploring the city.
Visited a Cajun Fishing Village
Arriving on a weekend, the group visited a working Cajun fishing village in Bayou Segnette, where the local kids take boats to school. Winding through the cypress swamp, wetland and marshes in an aluminum boat, they saw blue herons, giant egrets and red-eared slider turtles.
On "Build Day 1," members of the Huntington Habitat group went to St. Paul's Homecoming Center, an outreach of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana in the Gentilly area of New Orleans. The Center's mission is to help restore lives and rebuild homes. To assist in moving that mission forward the students and adults lent a hand in scraping and painting to refurbish the space where support services that are one of the lifelines of New Orleans originate.
Joining a New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH) construction project on Build Days 2 though 4, the Huntington High School Habitat group got its first taste of foundation work at the corner of Eagle and Apple in the Hollygrove neighborhood. The day was spent pouring concrete and learning to skim it for a smooth, flat finish. While the concrete was setting, the students moved lumber and set out the jack, king and cripple studs and headers that would support the weight of the house.
Rows of Cinder Block
On Build Days 3 and 4, they laid rows of cinder block on top of the foundation grid to disperse the house's weight, with rebar and metal strips set into mortar to create a locking system that would bind the house together, and hold the house to its foundation.
"I never imagined that five years after the crushing winds of Hurricane Katrina that there would still be interest in the relief efforts in New Orleans," Mr. Gilmor said. "To date, the students of Huntington High School are very aware and very interested in the rebuilding of our neighboring families. The back-breaking work with cement would turn most high school students away, but these amazing students fought through hot weather and sometimes less than cooperative groups from around the United States and came out highly praised and as welcomed additions to the staff and communities of New Orleans."
Seeing the Sights at Night
The days of service led into evenings of seeing the sights and sampling New Orleans' famed Cajun cooking for the Huntington group members. After they had washed off the dust, mud, and mortar from their workdays, the students and adults enjoyed walking down to the French Quarter and Bubba Gumps restaurant, catching sight of a Mardi Gras parade, playing ultimate Frisbee at Audubon Park, sampling the Vietnamese Po'boy sandwiches and dunking Café Du Monde beignets.
"It was an adventure for everyone who went," said Mr. Gilmor, who has been involved with Habitat for Humanity for 14 years. "Some of them were there on their second or third Habitat build in New Orleans, and it was a welcome opportunity to see the progress the city and its communities have made toward bringing livelihoods and homes back to areas that had been devastated. The students could see the impact of their energy and efforts, as the cinder block walls rose off the foundation, and we certainly received the warmth and gratitude of the people of New Orleans."
Following their trip to New Orleans, the group brought their energy and enthusiasm to build again with Habitat for Humanity, this time in New York. In the spring, Huntington High School's Habitat build team was at work on projects in Bayville and Bellport.