Volunteer
Give Your Time.
Everyone in the country should go to New Orleans and see what is happening there, and try to be a part of making it better. Although it is not on your TV screens anymore New Orleans’ rebuilding story is still a long way from finished. Nearly two years later you can still drive around New Orleans for over 3 HOURS and never stop seeing destruction. That is a scope and a reality that is nearly impossible to comprehend until you see it with your own eyes.
The destruction of New Orleans spreads through all neighborhoods - rich, poor, black and white. The water rose, and everyone was effected. And they continue to be effected today.
There is a spirit about New Orleans that is unlike any place I’ve ever experienced. The city has a heartbeat that can be heard and felt in everything from its music to its food to its amazing people. When you talk to these people, when you hear their stories, you hear anger, sadness, frustration and pain. But when you ask them why they love New Orleans their eyes just light up. And the answers are full of pride, heart and love.
Be a part of helping this city get back on its feet. Go see what can only be seen in New Orleans. When you do, I guarantee you too will fall in love with the heart and soul of NOLA. And you will want to be part of fighting to save one of America's greatest cities.
Go to http://volunteerneworleans.com for various volunteer opportunities in the New Orleans area.
Volunteer Stories
"I have always wanted to volunteer in a far off land. Whether it was building houses, cleaning-up habitat, teaching English, or just doing what I can, that part didn't really matter. It was mostly about giving a week of my time for the betterment of a community and the world. Recently I helped Dawn Dais in organizing the Dream in Motion, a volunteer group from around the country, go to the devastated New Orleans area to volunteer. I knew the area was devastated and in need of help before I set foot in the jazz capital of the country, but once we were onsite I got the full brunt of how much farther the Bayou region had to go in order to make it 'livable' again for its residents.
I was surprised to see how little had been done to restore the area to its pre-storm glory. On our tour of the area, the devastation was more encompassing that one could imagine. Pictures truly don't express the expansiveness of what we witnessed. Every neighborhood had been touched and up to its eves in polluted water. As we drove, every neighborhood, every street and every house as far as you could see, seemed empty and void of its once harmonious roots.
It felt good to leave there knowing, however small the contribution, that we had helped and made an impact. I would definitely recommend everyone get involved in something like this. It is an eye-opening experience that you should have at least once in your life. You will leave with a deep appreciation for what YOU have and how much you have to be thankful for in YOUR life.
I hope to return to NOLA some day, to volunteer again and see the changes that helped renew the city and it's surrounding communities since this recent visit. "
- Carrie, Seattle, WA
"I always tell people I felt like I was on two distinct trips while visiting New Orleans. After returning from my week of volunteer work and sightseeing in New Orleans, friends naturally want to hear about my experience. And the best way to sum up my time there is that I spent a week manically experiencing the highs and lows of humanity in the Crescent City. Having never traveled to New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina and the floods, I had no basis for comparison for what I saw. What I felt was overwhelming sadness...in its purest and most animalistic form.
TWO plus years after the disaster, the city is still in desperate need of its government, its nation, its residents, and its saviors to pay attention and to care, to act, to love. Neighborhoods are empty, businesses are shut down, homes are no longer homes -- instead, dilapidated wood skeletons remain. NOLA's soul is hurting.
Man oh man, though, is that a fun town The people, the food, the voodoo, the music, the art, the booze, the crooked streets, the funny accents, the culture, the history, and, again, the food...you'll not find New Orleans's equal anywhere in the world. Vibrant is the word that springs to mind when thinking about the town. I'm already trying to figure out a way to return next year, and the year after that, and the year after that. Perhaps one year my visit won't seem manic and I'll return talking about just one trip. Visiting New Orleans has convinced me that this town is necessary, its people are necessary, its heritage is necessary, and its vibrancy is necessary."
Heather, Berkeley, CA
"I have three younger brothers. The first thing I thought when I saw the Ninth Ward in New Orleans was that my brothers needed to see it too. I couldn’t help but think that their lives would take on a whole new meaning, if they could just see what I was seeing…the houses with holes in the roofs, the X’s denoting lives lost or animals found, and white trailer after white trailer that had become the new neighborhood. While the situation in New Orleans is both devastating and infuriating, I can’t help but admire New Orleanians for their perseverance and ability to use the horror of their circumstance pro-actively. Yes, we let them down. Yes, they are our very own and we let them down….but they stand tall and strong and live in one of the most culturally beautiful places I have ever been."
Lauren, New York, NY
Everyone in the country should go to New Orleans and see what is happening there, and try to be a part of making it better. Although it is not on your TV screens anymore New Orleans’ rebuilding story is still a long way from finished. Nearly two years later you can still drive around New Orleans for over 3 HOURS and never stop seeing destruction. That is a scope and a reality that is nearly impossible to comprehend until you see it with your own eyes.
The destruction of New Orleans spreads through all neighborhoods - rich, poor, black and white. The water rose, and everyone was effected. And they continue to be effected today.
There is a spirit about New Orleans that is unlike any place I’ve ever experienced. The city has a heartbeat that can be heard and felt in everything from its music to its food to its amazing people. When you talk to these people, when you hear their stories, you hear anger, sadness, frustration and pain. But when you ask them why they love New Orleans their eyes just light up. And the answers are full of pride, heart and love.
Be a part of helping this city get back on its feet. Go see what can only be seen in New Orleans. When you do, I guarantee you too will fall in love with the heart and soul of NOLA. And you will want to be part of fighting to save one of America's greatest cities.
Go to http://volunteerneworleans.com for various volunteer opportunities in the New Orleans area.
Volunteer Stories
"I have always wanted to volunteer in a far off land. Whether it was building houses, cleaning-up habitat, teaching English, or just doing what I can, that part didn't really matter. It was mostly about giving a week of my time for the betterment of a community and the world. Recently I helped Dawn Dais in organizing the Dream in Motion, a volunteer group from around the country, go to the devastated New Orleans area to volunteer. I knew the area was devastated and in need of help before I set foot in the jazz capital of the country, but once we were onsite I got the full brunt of how much farther the Bayou region had to go in order to make it 'livable' again for its residents.
I was surprised to see how little had been done to restore the area to its pre-storm glory. On our tour of the area, the devastation was more encompassing that one could imagine. Pictures truly don't express the expansiveness of what we witnessed. Every neighborhood had been touched and up to its eves in polluted water. As we drove, every neighborhood, every street and every house as far as you could see, seemed empty and void of its once harmonious roots.
It felt good to leave there knowing, however small the contribution, that we had helped and made an impact. I would definitely recommend everyone get involved in something like this. It is an eye-opening experience that you should have at least once in your life. You will leave with a deep appreciation for what YOU have and how much you have to be thankful for in YOUR life.
I hope to return to NOLA some day, to volunteer again and see the changes that helped renew the city and it's surrounding communities since this recent visit. "
- Carrie, Seattle, WA
"I always tell people I felt like I was on two distinct trips while visiting New Orleans. After returning from my week of volunteer work and sightseeing in New Orleans, friends naturally want to hear about my experience. And the best way to sum up my time there is that I spent a week manically experiencing the highs and lows of humanity in the Crescent City. Having never traveled to New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina and the floods, I had no basis for comparison for what I saw. What I felt was overwhelming sadness...in its purest and most animalistic form.
TWO plus years after the disaster, the city is still in desperate need of its government, its nation, its residents, and its saviors to pay attention and to care, to act, to love. Neighborhoods are empty, businesses are shut down, homes are no longer homes -- instead, dilapidated wood skeletons remain. NOLA's soul is hurting.
Man oh man, though, is that a fun town The people, the food, the voodoo, the music, the art, the booze, the crooked streets, the funny accents, the culture, the history, and, again, the food...you'll not find New Orleans's equal anywhere in the world. Vibrant is the word that springs to mind when thinking about the town. I'm already trying to figure out a way to return next year, and the year after that, and the year after that. Perhaps one year my visit won't seem manic and I'll return talking about just one trip. Visiting New Orleans has convinced me that this town is necessary, its people are necessary, its heritage is necessary, and its vibrancy is necessary."
Heather, Berkeley, CA
"I have three younger brothers. The first thing I thought when I saw the Ninth Ward in New Orleans was that my brothers needed to see it too. I couldn’t help but think that their lives would take on a whole new meaning, if they could just see what I was seeing…the houses with holes in the roofs, the X’s denoting lives lost or animals found, and white trailer after white trailer that had become the new neighborhood. While the situation in New Orleans is both devastating and infuriating, I can’t help but admire New Orleanians for their perseverance and ability to use the horror of their circumstance pro-actively. Yes, we let them down. Yes, they are our very own and we let them down….but they stand tall and strong and live in one of the most culturally beautiful places I have ever been."
Lauren, New York, NY
Me:
My name is Dawn Dais and I am a writer and graphic designer from Sacramento, California. I wrote a book about moving your butt and then I moved my butt around the country to promote it.
I am currentlly moving my butt via bicycle. My next tale of spandex and sweat will hit the stores next year. If I don't hit a tree or squirrel first...
my myspace
You:
You are very intelligent and strikingly good-looking. You want to do something, for yourself, for others. Something that matters, something that can make a little bit of a difference, for yourself, for others.
You are very intelligent and strikingly good-looking. You want to do something, for yourself, for others. Something that matters, something that can make a little bit of a difference, for yourself, for others.
Us:
Together, with our combined passion (and good looks), we are going to do something big (all the while, looking fantastic). We are going to raise money and awareness for New Orleans. But more than that we are going to raise hammers and walls. We are going to both literally and figuratively help rebuild New Orleans. And we may even join hands and sing We Are the World. We are dreamers, you and I, anything can happen.
The Book: I wrote a book, “The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women”. It’s funny! It’s a book about how to train for a marathon if you hate running! It’s also about how I trained for a marathon while hating running. (Other people’s pain is funny, as it turns out.) The book is about taking on something that seems impossible and finding the focus to see it through to the end. It’s also about how many carbs you can eat when you move your butt on a regular basis. Both the focus and the carbs are what inspired my current goal.
Click here to get more info on the book or order an autographed copy.