Rollins Group Travels to New Orleans to Help Hurricane Katrina Victims

March 14, 2006

A group of 13 Rollins students, faculty and staff members traveled to New Orleans last week for an Alternative Spring Break community service trip. The group worked with Habitat for Humanity to gut homes of Hurricane Katrina victims. The team stayed in a tent city being operated by FEMA and worked in St. Bernard Parish, which is considered to be the most devastated area by Katrina. An estimated 1,200 college students from across the United States also volunteered in the hardest hit areas of the Gulf Coast last week.

During the trip, the group (made up of one faculty member, two staff members and 10 students) cleaned out three homes that were completely flooded following the storm. "When we got here, what we saw was overwhelming," said Director of Community Engagement Micki Meyer. "I remembered thinking there was no hope. And then you work in a house, and you see in one day what you can do, and then you realize … there is hope."

The trip represented the inaugural community service effort for "Rollins Relief," a campus organization committed to helping victims of global catastrophes. Goldwater Scholar Stephen Miller (Class of '09) founded the organization following Hurricane Katrina. "It's so exciting to be part of a team that is so enthusiastic," said Miller. "It's amazing to see the things you can accomplish collectively, and we definitely saw that during our time in New Orleans."