The group traveled to Bay St. Louis, Miss., May 23-27 as part of Elon's ongoing efforts to assist the Gulf Coast community. The group worked on seven houses, including painting and cleaning debris, and visited with families devastated by the storm. The trip was Elon's first young alumni service trip, which will be offered in the future. Mandie Rose Danielski ‘02 of Brooklyn, N.Y., traveled to Bay St. Louis and wrote about her experience.
Here’s one way to spend your next holiday weekend: reconnect with a long-distance college friend; meet fun, energetic students, alumni, staff and faculty; share chili dogs, crawfish and laughs with motivated volunteers and community leaders; prime and paint every nook and cranny of the home of a family starting over after Hurricane Katrina; hear the stories of survivors determined to rebuild their culture and community in Bay St. Louis, Miss.
Thanks to the strong leadership of students and staff of Elon Volunteers! and the Alumni Relations Office, that’s how my friend Ashley Kehrer ’02 and I spent Memorial Day weekend. Most of us are not exposed to the daily struggle that so many residentsin Mississippi and Louisiana still suffer in the aftermath of HurricaneKatrina. Since the media limit their coverage of current reliefefforts, it’s hard to believe that after three years, families muststill live in trailers in a neighborhood they don’t recognize anymore.Homes, schools, churches, shopping centers, banks, gas stations, trees,parks and beaches are missing, having been destroyed by the winds, waves and flooding.Some residents estimate that it could take 20 years to rebuild theirtowns.
Ashley and I became friends at Elon during a semester abroad program. We also bonded as English majors taking demanding literature courses. But we shared some of the most meaningful experiences by getting our hands dirty while serving as builders and board members of Elon’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Since graduation, we’ve written letters to keep in touch. While Ashley has spent time volunteering at a Habitat chapter in Atlanta, I have been participating in the annual Revlon Run/Walk for Women’s Cancer Research and the annual New York Cares Day, cleaning up city parks.
When I saw the e-mail from the Alumni Relations Office about the Bay St. Louis service trip, I thought immediately of inviting Ashley. She has always been an inspiration to me to continue my service work. During our senior year at Elon, she and our Habitat friends encouraged me to forget my fear of heights, get up on a roof and nail down shingles for a family who needed a home. So I knew that on the Bay St. Louis trip, Ashley and I could help rebuild another family’s life, no matter how hot and humid it might be. (And it was!)
Elon students, staff, faculty and alumni are accomplishing so much with Camp Coastal Disaster Relief. Leaders from Elon Volunteers! and Alumni Relations organized a truly memorable experience for all of us. I hope we return to Bay St. Louis to make a lasting and positive difference in the look and feel of that community.