Students spend winter break helping locals rebuild almost 3 years after Katrina
01/07/2008 18:22
Students spend winter break helping locals rebuild
almost 3 years after Katrina
Elvia Malagon | IDS | Date: 1/7/2008
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IU junior Michael Zaremski and IU senior Topher Lenz swing sledgehammers in order to break up the front steps of a house Dec. 16 in Biloxi, Miss. The city of Biloxi was going to demolish the house, which suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina, Y’ALL executive board member and trip planner Mike Deranek said. However, the house’s owner was financially unable to tear the house down and the city threatened to add the cost of demolition to the owner’s taxes, Deranek said. Without the help of Y’ALL, the city would have repossessed the property, he said.
Jay Seawell • IDS
IU junior Michael Zaremski and IU senior Topher Lenz swing sledgehammers in order to break up the front steps of a house Dec. 16 in Biloxi, Miss. The city of Biloxi was going to demolish the house, which suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina, Y’ALL executive board member and trip planner Mike Deranek said. However, the house’s owner was financially unable to tear the house down and the city threatened to add the cost of demolition to the owner’s taxes, Deranek said. Without the help of Y’ALL, the city would have repossessed the property, he said.
Jay Seawell • IDS
PHOTO GALLERY:
Y'ALL relief trip to Biloxi, Miss.
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While most students were recovering from finals, 120 students kicked off their winter break by spending six days in Mississippi and Louisiana.
With financial assistance from the IU Student Association, IU’s Youth Advocating Leadership and Learning organization took about 120 students on its seventh trip to help with the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Sixty students went to Biloxi, Miss., while 60 students made the trip to New Orleans.
Senior Mike Deranek, executive committee member of Y’ALL, said this was his sixth time going to the Hurricane Katrina relief area with the group.
Deranek said he loves going to help with the relief efforts because of the group dynamic that is formed.
“There were 60 young people that were willing to (give up) a week to help those in need,” Deranek said. “Every one of them, through the good and the bad times, was able to smile.”
Y’ALL was formed in 2005 when 200 IU students went to Mississippi to help the relief effort after Hurricane
Katrina destroyed or damaged many areas that year, Deranek said.
The group focused on areas in Mississippi such as Biloxi, Ocean Springs and Pass Christian. The areas were severely damaged by the hurricane but were not receiving media attention, Deranek said.
IU senior Malia Foytich also went to Biloxi with Y’ALL this past winter break. For Foytich, the most memorable part of the trip was seeing the progress made when the group cleared an entire block that had not been touched since the hurricane hit.
Students helped demolish a house, did yard work, put up dry wall and painted the exterior, Deranek said. Y’ALL volunteers helped draw media attention back to the relief effort in Biloxi, which made more volunteers come out to help, Deranek said.
While students were transforming a street block in Biloxi, the other 60 Y’ALL members assisted with the hurricane relief effort in New Orleans.
There, the students spent six days working with local agencies such as the food bank and animal shelters, Evan Holloway, senior and co-founder of Y’ALL , said.
Despite less manual labor in New Orleans, Holloway said he loved going to help in any way he could with the relief effort.
“New Orleans has some of the nicest people you will ever meet,” Holloway said. “They feel forgotten about and that the rest of the country is moving on. Any time they find volunteers, they are excited and grateful.”
In order to make the trip possible, Y’ALL teamed up with the University of Louisiana at Monroe relief and Hands On New Orleans, Deranek said. Y’ALL also received financial assistance from the IU Student Association.
Deranek, Foytich and Holloway encourage any IU student to get involved with the organization.
“I love it and encourage any student who has thought about it to do it because it is one of the most eye-opening experiences that I (have) had,” Foytich said.
The organization plans to take spring break and May trips, Holloway said. Call-out meetings for the organization will be held at the end of January.
Elvia Malagon | IDS | Date: 1/7/2008
E-mailCommentPrintEditor
View Larger
IU junior Michael Zaremski and IU senior Topher Lenz swing sledgehammers in order to break up the front steps of a house Dec. 16 in Biloxi, Miss. The city of Biloxi was going to demolish the house, which suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina, Y’ALL executive board member and trip planner Mike Deranek said. However, the house’s owner was financially unable to tear the house down and the city threatened to add the cost of demolition to the owner’s taxes, Deranek said. Without the help of Y’ALL, the city would have repossessed the property, he said.
Jay Seawell • IDS
IU junior Michael Zaremski and IU senior Topher Lenz swing sledgehammers in order to break up the front steps of a house Dec. 16 in Biloxi, Miss. The city of Biloxi was going to demolish the house, which suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina, Y’ALL executive board member and trip planner Mike Deranek said. However, the house’s owner was financially unable to tear the house down and the city threatened to add the cost of demolition to the owner’s taxes, Deranek said. Without the help of Y’ALL, the city would have repossessed the property, he said.
Jay Seawell • IDS
PHOTO GALLERY:
Y'ALL relief trip to Biloxi, Miss.
Advertisement
While most students were recovering from finals, 120 students kicked off their winter break by spending six days in Mississippi and Louisiana.
With financial assistance from the IU Student Association, IU’s Youth Advocating Leadership and Learning organization took about 120 students on its seventh trip to help with the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Sixty students went to Biloxi, Miss., while 60 students made the trip to New Orleans.
Senior Mike Deranek, executive committee member of Y’ALL, said this was his sixth time going to the Hurricane Katrina relief area with the group.
Deranek said he loves going to help with the relief efforts because of the group dynamic that is formed.
“There were 60 young people that were willing to (give up) a week to help those in need,” Deranek said. “Every one of them, through the good and the bad times, was able to smile.”
Y’ALL was formed in 2005 when 200 IU students went to Mississippi to help the relief effort after Hurricane
Katrina destroyed or damaged many areas that year, Deranek said.
The group focused on areas in Mississippi such as Biloxi, Ocean Springs and Pass Christian. The areas were severely damaged by the hurricane but were not receiving media attention, Deranek said.
IU senior Malia Foytich also went to Biloxi with Y’ALL this past winter break. For Foytich, the most memorable part of the trip was seeing the progress made when the group cleared an entire block that had not been touched since the hurricane hit.
Students helped demolish a house, did yard work, put up dry wall and painted the exterior, Deranek said. Y’ALL volunteers helped draw media attention back to the relief effort in Biloxi, which made more volunteers come out to help, Deranek said.
While students were transforming a street block in Biloxi, the other 60 Y’ALL members assisted with the hurricane relief effort in New Orleans.
There, the students spent six days working with local agencies such as the food bank and animal shelters, Evan Holloway, senior and co-founder of Y’ALL , said.
Despite less manual labor in New Orleans, Holloway said he loved going to help in any way he could with the relief effort.
“New Orleans has some of the nicest people you will ever meet,” Holloway said. “They feel forgotten about and that the rest of the country is moving on. Any time they find volunteers, they are excited and grateful.”
In order to make the trip possible, Y’ALL teamed up with the University of Louisiana at Monroe relief and Hands On New Orleans, Deranek said. Y’ALL also received financial assistance from the IU Student Association.
Deranek, Foytich and Holloway encourage any IU student to get involved with the organization.
“I love it and encourage any student who has thought about it to do it because it is one of the most eye-opening experiences that I (have) had,” Foytich said.
The organization plans to take spring break and May trips, Holloway said. Call-out meetings for the organization will be held at the end of January.