Wheeling Jesuit University welcomed the return of its 12 students and administrators from their week-long Katrina rebuilding effort in the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans (January 1 through January 8). Erin McDonald, Assistant Director of the University’s Service for Social Action Center, Susan Haarman, House Mentor of the Mother Jones House in East Wheeling, and Josh Elek, a Residence Life area coordinator, led the students.

A daily diary from the volunteers appears on the University’s Web site, www.wju.edu. A story on this service project will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Chronicle, the University’s alumni magazine.

January 6
Erin McDonald
Assistant Director, Service for Social Action Center

I am completely overwhelmed by the work ethic of our students. They have been absolutely amazing, dedicated, compassionate. They go and go and go. They are so passionate about helping and about getting things done. Our students are blistered, sore, dirty and weary. And yet, they continue on, even in the face of their own exhaustion. They push forward and our driven to complete the task. We are in complete awe of their work ethic. Today we completely gutted a house that was ruined by the flood and have started on a second home. It has been an amazing week.


January 5
Susan Haarman

Can you imagine the entire city of Wheeling, every single home, being completely uninhabitable? That’s what we are seeing down here. It is not a few scattered homes, it is entire neighborhoods. We are going in and gutting what has taken months to build and hours to strip. It is devastation at its worse. Students’ spirits are high.

Jessica
Freshman.

It is just unbelievable how much stuff we have been taken out of these houses and how these people have to start all new lives. It’s great that we are making a difference in their lives.


January 4
Inside New Orleans

Joshua
Student
We got into New Orleans last night. It was pretty late so it was dark and we couldn’t see much. We woke up this morning, looked out the window and saw there was a downed tree near us. It made us think about being at a part of New Orleans where the storm hasn’t hit very badly and there are signs of the storm five months later. And I got nervous about what the other parts of New Orleans might look like. We went into the Ninth Ward and saw some of the destruction. What I saw there blew my mind. It looks like a battle scene out there. Block after block of downed houses and overturned cars. Buses through bay windows. It was worse than I thought it would be….

We spent the day working in an African American Parish in another ward. We basically took everything out of the first floor of the church—water-logged carpeting, tore out the books, which had fused to the floor because they were water-logged.We worked real hard and returned back to the motel. Tired, quiet and dirty.

January 3, 2006
90 miles north of New Orleans

Susan Haarman
Mother Jones House

After roughly nine hours in the car, we are about 1.5 outside of New Orleans. I don’t think I would trade this car ride for anything in the world. It’s been a good trip.

Erin McDonald
Service for Social Action Center

Long but good day. Students are excited. Played a lot of ice breakers in the car. We are going to do an orientation and a reception on Tuesday morning.

Amanda
Sophomore
We just can’t wait to get there. Everybody is excited. It will be a wonderful time.

Erin McDonald
Assistant Director, Service for Social Action Center
8 a.m., January 2, 2006

Louisville, Kentucky—We left the campus on the evening of January 1, after a prayer service led by Rev. Joseph Hayden, S.J., of Wheeling Jesuit. We headed due West to Columbus, Ohio, to pick up another student volunteer before heading South. We arrived in Louisville at 11:30 p.m. Susan Haarman of the Mother Jones House led our students in reflection last night. Students were tired but spirits are high. There is a great sense of excitement this morning. We will leave shortly to be n the road and we hope to make it to New Orleans this evening.