The Weekend Getaway

Before I joined AmeriCorps NCCC, I never would have described two long days of caulking, painting and drywalling in 90 degree weather as the perfect weekend. But last weekend's visit to Cameron Parish, Louisiana proved that there is nothing I would have enjoyed more. I got the chance to see my friends from Earth 3 and visit some of the amazing people we met during our second round project.

Last round, my team (Earth 3) worked in southwestern Louisiana helping residents recover from Hurricane Rita. One of our project sites was framing and siding on a new home being built by a very nice couple, Mo and Mary. Every day Mo would work with us at the job site, while Mary (against our strong, but ultimately insincere protests) cooked us delicious Cajun cuisine. Over the weeks, our team became very close to Mary and Mo. We were all heartbroken when, just a few weeks after our project ended, we heard the news that Mo had passed away. Despite our sadness, we were immediately determined to do whatever we could to bring Mo's house closer to completion for his family.

Three of us from Earth 3, along with Katie and a friend from a Perry Point team, rented a car and headed out to Lafayette. From there we drove to Cameron and stayed with Miss Julie, our sponsor from Round 2. Early the next morning, we arrived at Mo and Mary's and went to work sealing the house and caulking dents and holes in the siding for its first coat of paint. Miss Mary made us a delicious Louisiana meal for lunch and that evening, Mo's son took us on the family's boat to the spot where Mo was laid to rest.
Every one of us knew how important the house had been to Mo, how his strongest desire was to build a new home for his family. I saw in Miss Mary's eyes just how grateful the family was for our help, and for the connection our team has formed with them. It was incredibly touching to be brought so close to people who, just a few months ago, I had never even met. And on the next day seeing the house painted a beautiful sky blue, the very shade that Mo himself had picked out, impacted me and every person there very deeply. We all smiled when we thought about Mo, who, as one of his friends joked, was probably laughing, looking down on us from a nice, comfy cloud and watching us do all of the work.

From left to right: Mo's friend John, Kayla, Ashley (E3), Brandy (TL E3),
Greg (E3), Miss Mary, Kate (Perry Point), MB, Keegan, Caitlin (E3). Some of the
team had taken showers, changed, and returned for a delicious dinner.

The next morning, after our return to Lafayette, we had the chance to work half of a day on Earth 3's project, hanging drywall in a Habitat for Humanity house. We even had the chance to hang out with four of the original Oneders (Stacy, Amanda, Maria, and Sam). As we drove back to New Orleans after a tiring weekend, all of us were all happy for our progress, for seeing our friends, and for the simple smile of Miss Mary's that said so much.

~ Keegan