Helping to rebuild New Orleans

They fell in love with a city, its people and plight. More than four years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, 11 Chapman students dedicated a week in January to help with the rebuilding efforts that are still being carried out in the city. Enrolled in LEAD 325 (a leadership experiential learning laboratory for the Leadership Studies Program in the College of Educational Studies), and in conjunction with the Department of Student & Campus Life’s civic engagement initiatives, the students  contributed more than 400 hours of service to Rebuilding Together New Orleans.  Students helped install  insulation in an attic, build a wheelchair ramp, put up storm doors, paint and lay a concrete walkway for elderly homeowners who use wheelchairs.  In addition to attending daily class sessions in New Orleans,  students also met with Thomas Robichaux, a 1999 alumnus of Chapman University’s School of Law who lived in New Orleans during the 2005 hurricane season and has since served as an attorney for the city of New Orleans.

Students blogged about their experience (CLICK HERE to read their online journal) and included photos, bios of some of the people they helped, even a poem. Here are a few of their blog comments:

“How was I so unaware of what was going on in my own country?”

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“The beauty of New Orleans is that it is one giant community. Everyone is somehow connected to someone else in some fascinating way.”

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“I’ve seen homes damaged by a natural disaster which occurred over 4 years ago, yet it looks as if its happened just last week.”