Tonight was our last meeting before we board the bus this Saturday and begin our journey to New Orleans, or "N'Awlins" as they say! It's been a fantastic semester with the team of participants who have been meeting almost every single week since the December holidays. We've been doing team building activities to build relationships that will provide support and stability while we're there, fundraising our tails off, and having fun along the way! The level of dedication to this project shown by the group already is amazing and I have no doubt that our week spent helping will be a rewarding one on a personal level as well as for us as a team.
One piece of information that I found out about this evening is that Camp Hope, where we will be housed during our time in N'Awlins, will be closing on May 1, 2009. Camp Hope is an elementary school that has been converted into housing accomodations for volunteers and ran by Habitat for Humanity. Although it will be sad to see it close (it's a very vibrant place to be!), the goal is to have it re-open as a school for the fall of 2010! This is a huge sign of HOPE for New Orleans as this means many are returning to the city and children are going back to school!
Having been to New Orleans twice since February of 2007 when residence students headed down for the first time, I can hardly sleep already looking forward to the trip! I am anxious to get back and see what the city looks like and see the progress that has been made since I saw it last and I can't wait for our team to be there and experience the energy and rich traditions New Orleans has to offer. Hearing this news of Camp Hope's closure really kicks this trip off on a positive foot!
2 days left until departure and I can't wait to get on the bus!
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