The past 4 days...

Amazing is all I can say. We left at 4:30AM on Sunday from my house. Dick and Joe in the Penske truck loaded up and my new friends, Anna, John, and Megan loaded in with me. We drove about 14 hours down to New Orleans. We checked into our hotel and then took a quick walk to the Quarter where we enjoyed dinner and had to make a side trip to Cafe Du Monde for beignets and coffee. I am always elated to arrive in such an amazing city. I think it is the spirit of the people there that energizes me, in fact I know it is.

Monday morning we picked up 2 more trucks, I drove a 16' and Dick drove a 26', then Joe took over the original 16' and we headed to the RSD warehouse where the great staff there loaded up both trucks in about 1/2 hour. We delivered an unimaginable amount of school supplies to 9 schools, by 3PM.

At the first school, Lafayette Elementary, the staff was waiting to help us unload, an amazing group of people who just formed a line and began handing the items over, about 1000 binders, 1300 folders, 1000 notebooks, loose leaf paper, pencils, pens, teacher supplies, color pencils, glue, markers and crayons, and paint sets. When we were done, we headed in for cool drinks, a little snack, and some wonderful gift baskets for each volunteer.

I have to mention we received some help from additional volunteers while we were there, through our connections with SCAPC Narah and Virginia joined us as well as others through some of Dick's connections. These amazing volunteers were invaluable as we struggled to find schools, and unload so many supplies.

As we went through the trip the appreciation of so many was evident. Also evident was the continued struggle these schools face. The facilities are inadequate, the classrooms crowded; one school had 2 classes being held in one room, 1 class sat on the floor on one side of the room and the other class sat in desks on the other side, then they switched position through the day. Another school had sectioned off the end of the hallway to create additional classroom space and many schools are completely housed in "temporary" portable classrooms. The fencing and concrete around them makes me shudder at the thought that these are not all that temporary.

On Monday after we cleaned up a bit, we had a nice wet rain shower mid day, then just hot and humid! We headed over to our friend Joan's, read more below. Then off to dinner at Reginelli's where we ran into some Hinsdale Central Alumni believe it or not! Then to bed, as we had to awaken a little earlier on Tuesday as we had more schools to visit.

Tuesday... we split up, we had reloaded 2 trucks Monday afternoon and sent one truck with Joe, Anna, Megan and volunteer Derin to the other side of the river to deliver to 3 schools there. Our volunteer from Monday, Narah met them there and they proceeded to deliver schools supplies, instruments, and school uniforms to those schools. They had to make a trip back to the warehouse and rendezvous with the other 2 trucks before finishing their day with delivery of some much needed pens and pencils and even a piano!

Kristen, Dick and I as well as several volunteers we met along the way, visited 9 schools. We delivered supplies, viewed their classrooms, and made some new friends.

At the end of the day tired and dirty, we returned our rental trucks and went out to dinner with the new director of the RHINO program Kate. We are excited at the prospect of working with the program again in the future.

As we headed home amidst a rain storm early on Wednesday, sadness set in, I feel such loss leaving the area when I know there is so much to be done. Even today as I write this I am working to continue to help the children served by the schools in New Orleans (see Murray Henderson Elementary note).

To those of you who have supported this effort with prayer, words of kindness, monetary and physical donations, as well as support, THANK YOU. These past four days are what propels me to continue on they give me strength and purpose, and for your support I am forever in your debt.

Dawn