Last weekend in New Orleans

Yet again another Spike fly's by as my 2 month journey in New Orleans is coming to a close. Next Friday my team will be heading back to campus in Vicksburg, Mississippi (which as always is bittersweet).

Alright photo time to recap the week

Kari, Will and a Union Volunteer discussing sheetrock

Guns found inside house we're working on

Let the sheet rocking begin

Will secures the foundation

Jen hangs Sheetrock on the walls once ceilings are done

Sgt Johnson, an injured military officer whose house we're working on stops by during our lunch break

Union Volunteers with Sgt Johnson with the Flag that made it through Katrina

Sheetrocking the walls > Sheetrocking the ceiling

oh willy

Charter school ISP, Taylor and I hung all the "motivation" signs

Roman Harper signed my Protein shaker!

Roman Harper and myself

Cutting out insolation

Will, Jen, Kari, Ruth and I with our Union volunteers

Clearly it's been a pretty hectic week.  PNOLA had 17 Volunteers from Union college come down for the week, working with us at Sgt Johnsons house all week.  This house was a high priority project as the Saints invested a very generous donation towards this house being completed.  Roman Harper of the Saints made a special appearance at this site in his way to give back towards the community.  Articles about Harpers contribution at this site, as well as other Saints can be seen @ http://unitedwaynola.org/hope/ as well as http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2010/12/new_orleans_saints_safeties_da_1.html. 

Although we have to work tomorrow, I do not mind at all.  Besides the fact that more Saints players could be making an appearance (here's hoping), I have learned new skills this week including sheetrocking, mudding, and taping.  Hopefully we will be able to prime the walls before the end of next week so we can see this house really come together....

Some other fun pictures I found from our last Kaboom build

PNOLA + AmeriCorps

Team leader Chris Money

PNOLA site supervisor Chris

PNOLA Grace

Jim helps a fellow volunteer build a bench

Team Giraffe oh yes

Oh and muy importante! I found out where I will be headed after Christmas break! January 19th River 7 will be headed to work with The Nature Conservancy in Charlottesville, Virginia! Essentially our project will consist of the following:
    Teams will assist in a variety of important conservation and natural resource projects on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, to include removal of tree shelters, planting of native shrubs, preparing sites for tree planting and habitat restoration and supervising community volunteers.
We will be there for a month and then relocate to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to work with Recover, Rebuild, Restore Southeast Mississippi from 2/24/11 until 3/29/11.  This project consists of:

Rehabilitation of a historic 10,080 square foot boarding house to be used as volunteer housing. Team will also work with R3SM clients, the indigent, elderly and disabled, in minor home repairs.

So there you have it, Spike #3 is a split round and I'm pretty excited to be in Virginia and closer to the family, can't get much more north than that!

Edit: While in Virginia I will not be staying in Charlottesville, instead I will be residing in a cabin at one of the state parks closer to the shore.