Exeter group travels to New Orleans in post-Katrina relief effort

August 28, 2006

Rory, a lower, and others clear debris from Johnson Elementary School

Malcolm Wesselink (rear), Ted Atzeff '91 (front) and Jay, a prep, were part of the 70-strong Exeter team

Lion's note: This column was first published in June 2006.

Non sibi – not for oneself – is a driving force at Exeter. In mid-June, more than 70 Exeter faculty, staff, students, alums and family members worked in New Orleans to help one struggling neighborhood – Carrollton – rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. This was the second annual “non sibi” community service trip organized by Exeter.

Harold Brown, Exeter's director of Alumni/ae Affairs and Development, spearheaded the weeklong project, which involved clearing out furniture and debris from two mold-infested schools – the Johnson Elementary School and the Priestley High School -- and repairing the Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church. Brown worked with the Carrollton United Neighborhood Organization to define priorities for the trip. "Local residents see re-opening neighborhood schools as key to bringing Carrollton back to life," says Brown, who was delighted to be able to tie the group's work to an educational project.

The Exeter volunteers worked long hours during the June heat to lay the groundwork for the re-opening of the schools. "We couldn't believe some of what we found in those schools," says Brown. "Nothing had been done to the buildings or grounds since Katrina hit." In Carrollton and neighboring areas, Katrina's devastation still defines peoples' lives. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” says Brown of the damage he observed in New Orleans. “In the 9th Ward, you still see houses, ripped open by the storm, with the remains of a family's life in full view – photo albums, books, everything.”

As the Exeter team worked, word got around. Local residents welcomed the Exeter volunteers warmly and helped them make sure their efforts were addressing the most important local needs. “Every time a passing car honked its horn or people stopped to ask us what we were doing, I realized that we were giving them hope," says Molly, a lower who was one of 14 Exeter students to participate in the trip. "I learned that what we were doing in the Carrollton neighborhood really makes a difference," she adds. The reaction was positive across the board. "One woman came out of her doorway, clapping her hands and screaming, 'There's a wave of angels coming down my street!'" explains a visibly touched Brown.

Non sibi teamwork

"The Exeter team was incredible," says Brown. On the first day, local organizers divided the Exeter group into 10 separate teams. By day two, the Exeter volunteers came together and worked as a single unit. "The local organizers couldn’t believe how such a large group could work together so efficiently and productively," says Brown. "My only thought was, 'They don’t fully understand the Exeter spirit'." 

The work consisted of large acts – clearing the schools of everything that could be moved – and small – a butterfly-attracting shrub purchased privately by one of the Exeter volunteers and planted in the schoolyard as a welcoming note for Carrollton students. 

By trip's end, Exeter volunteers had emptied the entire Johnson Elementary School and the first floor of the Priestley High School, resulting in a seven-foot high pile of desks, bookcases and detritus. Both schools plan to re-open after professional cleaning crews scour the inside and essential repairs are completed. Priestley will borrow space in a nearby charter school, the McNair Middle School, until the building is approved for occupancy. Once re-opened, Priestley will host academic and community center activities, including adult training programs, health programs and after-school care. Priestley students will assist in ongoing renovations of their school.

Reaching out to the neighborhood

"One of the biggest benefits of this trip," says Brown, "was that we cemented a relationship with the local residents." Carrollton faces many unknowns – enrollment for the schools is dependent on how many families with children move back into the neighborhood, teaching staff needs to be hired and much repair work remains to be done. "We look forward to having an opportunity to provide more help to Carrollton in the future," adds Brown.

And by all accounts, Exeter will have plenty of volunteers for a return trip. "It was a huge bonding experience for everyone in the group from Exeter," says Molly. "Going on this trip made me realize that I could do something like this, and I will do it again."

The relief trip was organized with the assistance of the United Way, the Carrollton United Neighborhood Organization and the Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church, all of which provided on-site support to the Exeter participants.

See more pictures from the trip...
View the press release about this "non-sibi" community service project...
Read more about Katrina's impact on the Carrollton neighborhood...

Got a story idea? Contact the Lion: lionseye@exeter.edu.