Volunteer
Community Projects
To book a volunteer group, please go to our homepage and click “Book a Group.”
“In the preparation for this trip, I stressed to my adults and youth that this trip was about hard, physical work. But thank God for the non-construction projects; it offered a chance for each worker to use their God-given talents…” DCE Tim Ihssen, Our Savior Lutheran Church -Tacoma, WA
Community projects are divided into three categories: Human Care, Environmental and Service. Whether it’s helping out at a homeless shelter, planting trees and swamp grass in the wetlands, going on a prayer walk or engaging in one of over 50 other project types, volunteers are empowered to help restore the fabric of our community in many different ways.
Human Care
“…I mean, who knew that the ability to call Bingo or read “Go Dog Go” would further the kingdom?!”
DCE Tim Ihssen, Our Savior Lutheran Church – Tacoma, WA
Human care is a wonderful way to meet the people of New Orleans and learn about the culture of this unique city. For Katrina survivors, telling their story to “fresh ears” can be a vital part of recovery. You could be those “fresh ears” for many New Orleanians by working, serving and witnessing at the following sites:
• Nursing homes
• Child-care centers
• Youth centers
• Homeless shelters
• Hospice facilities
“…Not only has the city of New Orleans been destroyed, but so has its spirit… These jobs are so important because we are missionaries showing New Orleans the light of God and helping them to believe in Him. Thank you so much for letting me take part [in this].”
Kelsey, age 13, Our Savior Lutheran Church – Tacoma, WA
Environmental
“It was really cool to see all the headstones we uncovered that haven’t been seen in the past two to three years and how we were helping those people in their eternal resting place.”
Michelle, age 16, Peace Lutheran Church – Hewitt, TX
All environmental sites involve working outside. Many sites are on historical grounds such as; a plantation house on the National Registry, Chalmette Battlefield - site of the Battle of New Orleans, and a New Orleans cemetery. Others sites involve protecting the environment by harvesting grasses along a bayou, removing non-indigenous plants, and working in a vegetable garden at a homeless center. General landscaping tasks are also needed at churches, homes, and public parks affected by Hurricane Katrina.
“When I got there I realized that everything we did there was going to help. I was kind of worried that I wasn’t going to be able to do anything, but everything we did, from spreading mulch in City Park to helping the little kids learn, I was really glad that we could go down there and help the people of the city of New Orleans .”
Scooter, age13, Peace Lutheran Church – Hewitt, TX
Service
“… We assembled bags of snacks for kids with reduced lunches at school. This is great time for a group to bond. We had music, we had a purpose, and we had each other. It was really fun.”
Amy Trojanowski, Class of ’09, College of the Holy Cross – Boston, MA
Service sites involve jobs that support the work of small missions throughout the New Orleans area. Volunteers have repaired playground equipment, stuffed backpacks for the needy, completed general maintenance tasks, and small projects to improve the facilities. In a post-Katrina New Orleans, many missions are short of staff and volunteers. This has been a blessing to work with others as their work to restore our community.
“…We were able to help out by doing maintenance work both inside and outdoors on the property surrounding the school. A highlight was certainly playing with the students at recess- definitely made the day go by quickly and served as a reminder as to who was benefitting from the work that we had done.”
Amy Trojanowski
How can I get involved?
Community projects are coordinated by Kathy Wendling, who makes contact with groups after initial booking. Group interests and opportunities are discussed, and a plan is cooperatively developed for the week’s work. The best experience we’ve seen for youth groups is when they have a variety of construction and community-project work during the week.
If you have any questions about our community project opportunities, please contact Kathy Wendling at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 504-442-5876.
We will do our best to accommodate your requests, but please remember to come with a SERVANT HEART and be prepared to serve in the areas of need.
“What probably impacted me the most was the fact that we took a group of high school kids down there, and a lot of people didn’t think that there were things that they could do. But yet, each and every day they proved that they were capable of going out and doing the work of the Lord, and I think it really changed a lot of lives. It changed my life, I think it changed their lives, and I think we impacted the lives of the people of New Orleans.”
Lisa Houle, Youth Leader, Peace Lutheran Church – Hewitt, TX