So much work to be done...

Beginning last Wednesday, I started the orientation for my 9-month AmeriCorps position at Hands On Gulf Coast. Today was the first day I started working on the projects to which I am assigned. For anyone wondering what I am doing down here, I am working in the areas of local volunteer recruitment and corporate engagement. What does that mean? Well, as far as local volunteer recruitment it means going out and getting the locals involved in what Hands On is doing in the community. Currently HOGC operates with the help of volunteers that come from outside of the Gulf Coast region. In order for the program to be sustainable, it is crucial to involve the locals to keep it running as its focus shifts from disaster recovery to other issues that need attention in the community.

The other area that I am working in is that of corporate engagement. What this means is that when a corporate group wants to come down, I correspond with them and help find a project that is feasible for them. When the group comes down, I meet with them and get them acclimated to life here at base. I am their "go to" person and answer any questions that arise during their stay. At the end of their volunteer time, I meet with them again to reflect on the work they have done over their stay and go over things like what they thought about their experience, what it means to the community, and how it fits into the bigger picture.

I got the opportunity to go on a tour of the Biloxi/Gulfport area with my teammate Sabrina, who was born and raised in Biloxi. As we drove along the Gulf and saw foundation after foundation where things used to be, she was able to tell me what used to be there. That was Ruby Tuesday's, that was an old antebellum house, that was an Olive Garden, an Arby's, a casino, Taco Bell, a souvenir store, another casino, a hotel, condos, and on and on and on. They are gone, I mean COMPLETELY GONE, something you have to see to believe. Not having seen the area before Katrina, one might think that there was never anything there in the first place, because there is literally nothing but a pile of bricks that remains of so many of the buildings that used to line the shore. I was really able to absorb how devastating the storm was to this area, how right it feels to be here helping out, and how excited I am for the Spring Break trip so that others can witness this for themselves, and hopefully make others aware of how much help is still needed.

Getting settled in...

I'm pretty much settled in here in Biloxi, and my home is a bunk as of right now. I'm hoping to get a room like most long-termers have, but in the meantime have created a pretty comfortable nest for myself. I arrived in Biloxi the afternoon of Thursday, February 15th and went to work Friday morning. In the morning I helped to weed a community garden to help clean up the park for a community event that was to take place the following day. Over the lunch hour, I volunteered with a group of women from Bethesda, MD and served lunch to over 100 volunteers at the Salvation Army. Then I went back to weeding and worked with a group of high school Seniors from Maryland. Nearly the entire Senior class of the school (very small all male private school) had come down with the president of the school and some teachers and parents. Each year the Senior class participates in a service project, and working at Hands On for the week was their project. By the time they were getting ready to leave, many of them were already talking about returning.

For Volunteers: What to Bring

This is taken from the HOGC website. I have made comments on some of the items listed. If you have them already--great, bring them. If you don't already have them, there are many of these items that are here at base for volunteer use, so don't run out and spend money on buying them new.

*Completed Volunteer Liability Waiver (if you can print this off the HOGC website and have it already filled out, terrific. If not, I will have copies for everyone.)
* Short-sleeved t-shirts (also, each volunteer gets a Hands On Gulf Coast t-shirt and there are other clothing items available for purchase)
* Shorts
* Work clothes (keep in mind they will likely be damaged)

• Long-sleeved shirts for protection
• Jeans
• Work boots (these are available at base if you don't have them--a pair of tennis shoes that you don't mind getting dirty is fine for most jobs)
• Hat or cap (optional)
• Work gloves (these are also available at base if you don't have them)
• Sunscreen (probably a good idea)
• Eye protection (goggles are available at base)
• Sleeping bag (blanket and pillow will suffice if you don't have one)
  

* Air mattress (if you have one, good idea to bring it--otherwise there are quite a few here)
* A flashlight or headlamp - in case of power outage or hurricane evacuation (optional)
* Towel (important)
* Personal hygiene and medical items (important)
* Tent (optional--I believe we will have the option of either sleeping indoors or out, and there are tents here if you would like to set up camp outside...more details to come on this topic)
* Your sense of humor! (important!)

Other things you may want to bring:

• camera
• some snacks for the long ride
• i-pod, Soduko puzzles, portable DVD player, books--things that might keep you occupied in the vans and at down times around base
• I'll add more as I think of things...
  

Facts about Hands On Gulf Coast

• On January 30, 2006, the city of Biloxi awarded Hands On Gulf Coast a key to the city in recognition of its contributions to the recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina.
• Over 3,500 individuals have volunteered their time at Hands On over the past year and a half
  
• The building's security network consists of Helicopter (dog) at the back entrance and Marmalade (cat) who combs the premises hourly.
• Helicopter is one of 26 puppies that were saved by a long-term volunteer at Hands On. White House staffers adopted four puppies during their visit and the puppies rode home on Air Force One.
• The "jerseys" hanging on the loft wall above the kitchen are former long-term volunteers who made a significant difference at Hands On and in the community. When the long termer leaves, their "jersey" (work shirt) is retired.
• The building has served as a volunteer center since a week after Hurricane Katrina, when the facility was used to house Hands On USA volunteers.
• HOGC has proven to be the most addictive volunteer center in the Gulf. No one comes just once.
• Usher, George and Laura Bush, and Anne Fudge (one of Fortune's 50 most influential women in American business) have all volunteered with HOGC.
• HOGC, in partnership with KaBOOM, has helped rebuild 8 playgrounds along the Coast.
• President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis' plantation, Beauvoir, included the property which is now home to HOGC. Katrina destroyed his historic home. Hands On volunteers were instrumental in recovering Civil War artifacts from the rubble.
  

Random information for those going on the trip...

There will be a group of UW-Madison students at Hands On the same week we are there, so Wisconsin will be well represented (about 50 volunteers total between both groups.)

Each Thursday evening, there is a "No Talent Talent Show," so feel free to bring your ukelele, tap shoes, trombone, hula hoop, glass eye, book of poetry, or whatever you might use to display your talent (or non talent).

There is a local watering hole within walking distance that volunteers are free to visit after work hours.

You will likely have the choice of either sleeping on a bunk indoors, or pitching a tent outdoors. The Hands On Gulf Coast website gives a list of things you should bring with you. If you have questions or need clarification about any of the items on the list, feel free to contact me.

More to come!

LIFE AT HOGC

I thought I would write a little bit about the day-to-day life here at Hands On, for those who are coming down to volunteer and those who are wondering what in the world I am doing down here. Each day, crews go out to various job sites to do various things. At dinner each night, volunteers put their names down for what they would like to do the next day. You can sign up for something new each day, or you can work on the same task for a number of days. Just a few examples are mold removal, gutting, working at the Humane Society, framing, drywall, tutoring, working at the Boys and Girls Club, working in a community garden, painting a mural, and other various tasks that may arise. For example, today I was on a crew that helped a woman move boxes, furniture, and other items out of her water-damaged house and into a U-Haul, then unloaded it into a storage locker she had rented. This is just one example of many where a citizen asks for help with a specific task, and Hands On helps them out.

There are a lot of other things that occur at dinner each night. Aside from the regular job board, there are other duties that people sign up for at dinner. Among them are preparing breakfast, breakfast clean-up, dinner preparation, and dinner clean-up for the following day. There is also the job of being the "Ira," who picks up/drops off volunteers at the airport, jobsites, or anywhere else they might need to get to. Apparently there was a volunteer named Ira who was here who was so excited to have just gotten his drivers license that all he wanted to do was drive people around, so they named the job after him.

Another thing that occurs at dinner is that any new volunteers introduce themselves, usually saying where they are from, how they found out about Hands On Gulf Coast, and some silly question, like "What is your favorite fruit?" This is also when volunteers who are leaving the next day say their goodbyes and talk about their experience at Hands On.