Gulf Coast takes us to New Orleans on a 15-day disaster relief and community service program focused on the residents and coastal wetlands of Louisiana. Based in the "Big Easy,” we volunteer and partner with local homeowners looking to rebuild their lives after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and coastal areas that were damaged by the BP Oil Spill of 2010. In our free time, we savor the local cuisine, music, architecture and culture of this fantastic area. Click on Read More to learn more about our service trip to New Orleans and how you can make a real difference with your summer.

Along with the rest of the country, we have watched in disbelief as Hurricane Katrina, followed by Rita and Ike devastated the Gulf Coast region. It has been over five years since Katrina, when we witnessed the streets of New Orleans fill with water, and levees, poorly built on shifting sands, fail. And, what began as a natural disaster very quickly became a man-made one. Last April the media shifted its attention once again to the Gulf Coast only this time to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill as the region received another damaging blow that spewed over 4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill caused extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats as well as the Gulf's rich fishing and tourism industries.

You may wonder what these areas look like now. The healing of these southern cities continues, but the progress is very slow. Many experts believe that it will take 10 years (or more) to rebuild the area. The L.A. Times reported, “Neighborhoods remain choked with more than 68,000 vacant homes -- most of which have been moldering since the flood of August 2005.”  The region’s wetlands, which protect the coast from these devastating hurricanes, have received irreversible damage. White FEMA trailers continue to sit in yards; homes, boarded up with plywood, still bear graffiti, and homeowners work, wait and hope having been hit yet again. Despite the grim view, the people of the area fight to hold on, to rebuild. All agree that the reconstruction of the Gulf Coast would not be possible without the assistance of many volunteers. Each day we are reminded that our work in New Orleans is not yet complete, and there is still much work to be done.

Our arrival in New Orleans will be followed by an orientation of the city and its past, focusing on areas affected by the hurricane, most notably the Lower Ninth Ward and the system of marshes, sand dunes and islands, which slow down storm surges and help protect areas such as New Orleans. For the next two weeks, we work under the supervision and guidance of RLT leaders and construction supervisors. We may drywall a home, repair a roof, install a floor, or gut a house. We move outdoors where we find the region loses wetland area the size of a football field every hour and action is critical now to protect any rebuilding effort. To help slow down wetland erosion and protect valuable natural resources, we partner with community volunteers planting new growth and removing damaged plants. Most importantly, you will help a family and a community who are trying to rebuild.

While we cannot call our time in New Orleans “The Big Easy,” it can be called a labor of love.  We get to know the rich culture, music and cuisine from the families we are serving and other members of the community. There is also time for fun and exploration with a stop at Café Du Monde, while appreciating what Branford Marsalis, the famous jazz musician, once called “the soul of America.” Exploration of the French Quarter, a music performance at the world famous Preservation Hall, art, architecture, bayou tours, cooking classes and cuisine fill our free moments, evenings and weekends.

We end our time in the South with a banquet to honor our hard work and the families we have served. We look forward to the day when all of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast is rebuilt and renewed, upholding the promise made over five years ago, to continue to stand by them in their struggle through the days and weeks, months and years ahead.

Settling In

Arrival in New Orleans; orientation; tour of Katrina-impacted areas.

Our Work

10 day disaster relief service project assisting homeowners rebuild; two day wetlands erosion environmental project.

Our Play

Bayou tour; Cajun cooking class; tour and exploration of the French Quarter; Preservation Hall jazz performance.

A Certificate of Service indicating 72-80 hours worked will be issued upon completion of the program.