Spring Break: Try this option

Source: The Northville Record

Published: March 22, 2007

By: Pam Fleming

Josh Noble could have been soaking up the sun in Cancun or skiing in Lake Tahoe during his spring break last week.

But instead of having fun with his fraternity brothers, Noble was part of the United Way's Alternative Spring Break, helping Hurricane Rita victims in Lake Charles, La.

Noble, 20, a Northville resident and junior at Texas Christian University, was one of 14 local volunteers who headed to the Gulf Coast last week to participate in the humanitarian effort, a partnership between the United Way and thinkMTV.

Students came from across the country to help those affected by the storm.

MTV will air a show, "The Amazing Break," about the young people's efforts in the near future.

Angela Walker, 25, of Northville, was one of the team leaders in Lake Charles.

A graduate of Northville High School and Western Michigan University, Walker earned bachelor's and master's degrees in social work and has worked in the volunteer services department of the United Way of Southeast Michigan's office in Detroit for two years.

She said about 150 people traveled to Lake Charles, about two hours west of New Orleans near Houston.

Former Detroit resident helped
Her team's project was to rebuild a home for a woman who used to live in Detroit and moved to the Gulf Coast about a year before Hurricane Rita hit.

The woman lost her apartment and is currently living in a Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer.

Walker's team also helped Habitat for Humanity renovate one of their warehouses. She said her team also toured Cameron, La., finding nothing but concrete slabs where homes used to be.

"There are homes that were picked up by the storm and moved out into the middle of the water," Walker said. "It's extreme devastation 18 months later."

A lot of the victims brought the volunteers, breakfast and cooked them lunch.

"They were very welcoming and appreciative," Walker said.

Walker said the experience has been rewarding.

"We've seen what a difference in can make to be able to provide a home to people," she said.
She hopes to get more young people involved in the United Way when she returns.

"We're looking to have a roundtable with young adults in the area to discuss what can be done locally, such as notices through MySpace to keep this age group engaged with United Way," she said.

Devastation still exists
Noble said when Hurricane Rita struck the Gulf Coast, no lives were lost, but the damage was extensive.

"Many of us were unaware of the devastation here because the media concentrated on Hurricane Katrina," he said. He said FEMA is working on about 120 cases, but about 6,000 cases haven't even been evaluated yet.

His team worked on putting a new ceiling, fixing broken windows and painting the interior of a woman's home. They had to wear biohazard suits and masks due to black mold growing in the home.

"She was scammed by some local construction workers, and 18 months after the hurricane she's still renting a FEMA trailer," Noble said.

He also said the week was rewarding.

"It's definitely been a very humbling experience," Noble said. "This is something I'll remember for years to come. Why not donate your time to make somebody's life change forever? "

Pam Fleming is a staff writer for the Northville Record. She can be reached at (248) 349-1700, ext. 105, or at pfleming@gannett.com.