This is a post written by my momma, and I won't preface it with much lest I step on her punch line, but you sure can tell from her writing that this apple didn't fall far from the tree.
New Orleans is one of our family homeplaces, somehow wound into our shared DNA. The city's still kind, still sassy, and she still needs our help, yall.
Slap My Momma It’s Time for a Bit of YaYa Gumbo -
Momma KJ
I don’t know how anyone else spends vacations, but my favorite is to go to New Orleans for stripping, screwing and getting plastered. I do it for the benefit of the people of New Orleans through the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana’s (EDOLA) Rebuild New Orleans Program. Along with a ragtag crew of volunteers-- most who have never done any construction--we work on rebuilding the homes damaged by Katrina. The homes are owned by New Orleans natives with no back-up resources. Mostly, my crew has worked for older women. In seven trips to New Orleans, we’ve done everything from gutting homes immediately after Katrina (stripping), hanging drywall (screwing) and then prepping the drywall for painting which generally entails a whole lot of drywall paste on everyone (getting plastered).
(ed note: my momma can drink you under the table, unless your name is Hailey.)
Our most recent homeowner admits to being over 70, and I seriously doubt she weighs much more than her age. Like most of the homeowners we’ve worked for, she is all about saving as much of the old as she can, so we have to be innovative.
EDOLA supplies us with tools, materials, and young team leaders who stay in New Orleans for months at a time, for the whopping stipend of $500 a month plus a place to live. It used to be a $1,000 a month but like everyone else, EDOLA is hurting for funds. Fortunately, they still get wonderful young people willing to work for peanut butter. Any amount you might be able to donate would greatly help. If you wish to send a cash donation, checks may be sent to ECS 504 Rebuild Campaign, 1623 Seventh Street, New Orleans, LA 70115. They should be made out to Episcopal Community Services with Rebuild in the memo line for proper credit.
-KJ
