St. Bernard Project

Unfortunately I have to give my experience with this organization a mixed review. From talking to multiple people it seems to come down to your build leaders. One of our leaders was very skilled at building but no matter how much we tried to get her to teach us, she just couldn’t. The other leader spent as much time on her phone as she did building.
I’m also not so sure about quality over quantity. We spent the first couple of days just fixing problems from the previous group. Apparently it was a very large church group that came in for a day and tried to get everything done. The people in my group that didn’t have any build experience were completely lost the whole week. I did a Habitat For Humanity build day a couple of weeks before this and they were very clear about safety and instructions.
The other group that came with us had an amazing time because they had an amazing team leader. They had a ton of fun and learned some great new skills. On a more philosophical note, it’s interesting that they’re only lifting the houses up four feet and aren’t using a lot of hurricane resistant building materials. Hopefully our experience was just a fluke and they actual train their trainers how to train.

What an amazing group of people! My cousin and I volunteered with SBP during a trip to New Orleans. They truly understand the need still for help even four years later. I am very proud of the work our team did and the work this organization does. I recommend anyone volunteering their time with this great organization!

New York minute in Bön Temps Louisiana — They get stuff done efficiently and fun. After a week, you’ll learn home improvement skills, while helping families move back into their homes. Best things in life are free, and this falls in that category. When you return home, you can follow progress on their Facebook page —
SBP is top-​notch; only thing missing is a live-​and-​work-​together full-​communal experience, but you can make up for that by staying in a volunteer house, a hostel, or round up your friends to go together!

If you have ever worked for Habitat for Humanity, this organization is similar. However, Habitat builds new houses, whereas St. Bernard Project guts and rebuilds damaged houses in the New Orleans area. They pride themselves on this idea, because they think it is important to preserve Katrina victims’ memories through this rebuilding process.
I went down with three other girls and we sanded and mudded drywall. My only complaint is that this task was very tedious, nevertheless, it needed to be done, so we did it.
Our Project Manager was with us the whole three days and worked her ass off just as much as we did. She was very encouraging and a very sweet young girl… only 18 years old! Needless to say, we were impressed with her.
We had a very good experience with this group. Everything is very organized and efficient. We had a great time volunteering and are really glad we did it, even though it was hard work!

Where do I start. Well I’m the one the convinced Colleen to work for Liz and the St. Bernard Project. I’ve been down there 3 times and I’m scheduled to go down again in February. I’ve been fortunate enough to lead two groups of 30 One Brickers during my trips. Liz and her group are simply amazing. I’ve managed to see the transformation of the community and gauge their progress. They still need the help. If you want to go visit
. I promise to give the trip of your lifetime introducing you to locals that survived the Hurricanes and show you pictures and stories the media never showed you. These trips have inspired me to give my time even more.

My good friend and humanitarian extraordinare (Dana P with One Brick) has been down to New Orleans countless times… so, when my mother proposed a volunteer trip down here, my first email was to Dana to get the scoop…
His first resounding recommendation: St. Bernard Project. Of course, Habitat is much more well-​known, but I knew if Dana vouched for it, it was worthwhile… so our group of 4 signed up.
Some notes from the website:
«You will literally help rebuild a family’s home. This may include hanging insulation or sheetrock, mudding/​spackling, sanding, texturing, priming, painting, laying floors, and/​or hanging trim, doors and baseboard. If you have significant experience any of these areas or in framing, electric, plumbing and/​or cabinetry, please inform the Volunteer Department prior to your arrival so that we can assign you to a specialty team.»
Another note, co-​founder Liz McCartney has been named 2008 CNN Hero of the Year. A remarkable achievement…
Ok, so my experience…
Day 1
830am: report to St. Bernard Project HQ for a mini-​orientation. Met with co-​founder for a bit of background, motivational speech of sorts. It worked. We were ready to build!
Notes: All 27,000 homes in St. Bernard Parish were leveled and deemed «uninhabitable» after Hurricane Katrina.
The population went from 75,000 before HK, to 25,000 after. Many are still waiting for their homes to be rebuilt. This is nearly 5 years after the storm…
930am: report to site. The Duplessy home in a small subdivision a few miles from Camp Hope. We meet our site supervisor, Morgan, who is with Americorps. She is 18 years old, and knows more than the 4 of us combined. Truly inspiring, and dedicated. Not to mention fun and sweet :)
The next 3 days: Drywall, mud, spackel, sand, sand, sand, sand, sand, wash stuff out, sand, sand, sand, sweep, play with the puppy across the street, sand, sand, sand, sand, eat at Rock and Carlo’s, sand, sand, sand, mud, spackel, learn how to «speed finish» a floor, work on corners, sand, sand, sand.
Yes, we sanded a lot. But damn, that house was SMOOOOOOOTH when we left!
They really stress quality over quantity, as they rebuild these homes to last.
Absolutely a 5-​star experience. Fabulous organization from start to finish. Gracious, genuine, inspired, dedicated. I’m glad I could donate a little of my time… but honestly, there is still so much to do. I was literally amazed at the amount of empty homes. Empty. Abandoned.
5 years later and this is what it still looks like? It’s incomprehendable, but absolutely true. 5 years. In one of the most well-​developed countries in the world… it just blows my mind. You can’t even believe it until you see it.
Anyone want to go back? I’m game. Not only to you get to volunteer for such a worthy, cool cause… but you are mere miles from New Orleans, one of the most fun places to visit/​hang out in the USA, in my opinion. Fun, leisure, volunteer work… a great mix, and awesome way to see a new place.
I’ still in awe of the work they’ve done… and continue to do. Definitely give it a thought if you are looking to volunteer in NOLA, and PM or email me if you’ve got any questions.
I’m planning on going back.

It’s taken me a while to get around to review #200. I stopped writing because I wanted something interesting for this milestone review, and nothing was really popping out at the time. In the interim, I’ve been plenty of new places — new restaurants, new bars… vineyards, pumpkin fields, etc., etc. Lots have been worthy of praise. Some have been worthy of scorn. But as time went on, this imaginary hurdle slowly grew. Until now, nearly 6 months later, I’m thinking… damn, this had better be good. No, not good; GREAT.
Unfortunately, I’ve shot myself in the foot, figuratively speaking. My writing skills are completely rusty. So instead of getting a great review, you’re going to have to settle for an OK review of something phenomenal.
The Saint Bernard Project is TRULY phenominal. It’s a small non-​profit foundation that puts people back into homes in the Saint Bernard Parish, just outside of New Orleans, after Katrina leveled the area. You’d think that three years later, things would be better. And they are better, but the work isn’t done.
That’s the amazing thing about the Saint Bernard Project. While a lot of the attention on the problems in the New Orleans area has faded away, these people are still hard at work. Their seemingly tireless efforts involve finding ways to rebuild houses with as little money as possible, and frankly, they work miracles. They can take a house that is essentially uninhabitable, add a scant $ 12,000 and 12 weeks of work, and end up with a home.
I spent about 8 days working with the Saint Bernard people earlier this year, and I am impressed. They have serious dedication and amazing spirits. I met and worked with a variety of people, some of which had been there for months, others who, like myself, were effectively just passing through. Some where highly skilled contractors, and others really hadn’t spent much time near a toolshed. The beauty of it is that, like Habitat For Humanity, you don’t have to have construction skills. All you need to help out is a little desire. They will patiently instruct you on whatever task is at hand, and get you to the point where you can just do it.
I’m looking forward to returning some time soon.
But don’t take my word for it. Perhaps listen to the collected cry of people who voted Liz McCartney CNN’s «Hero of the Year» for 2008, for her role as co-​founder of the Saint Bernard Project.
Or better yet, take an extended vacation to New Orleans if you can, and volunteer a few days to see for yourself.