Showing posts with label Livingston CARES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Livingston CARES. Show all posts
Monday, November 30, 2009
Become a Fan!
Livingston CARES is on Facebook! Check out our fan page http://bit.ly/CARESonFB and become a fan today!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thanks from Camp Victor !
Again, another great week of service here at Camp Victor and a real blessing to have been able to host your team. I had a blast with your volunteers last week. I was able to work on site with them and also go to a bonfire on Thursday night with them as well. The kids from SUNY Geneseo brought enough energy and enthusiasm for the whole camp. It made the week really enjoyable and I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you.
I know they worked very hard on site and I heard many of the construction supervisors saying that they wish your teams where back down here this week because they miss the energy and hard work attitude. It's really nice when two organizations can work together to meet the needs of volunteers in different ways. I'm glad we've been able to house your teams and EBCC has done a great job at providing good work projects. A success all around. (Even more successful when you guys bring awesome volunteers!)
Please pass along my thanks to everyone from last week's team so I have a chance to tell them how great they were and how much we miss them! If any of them are interested in keeping in touch with the camp I can add them to the email newsletter list. Keep spreading the word
and blessings again for supporting our mission and helping the Gulf Coast continue to rebuild.
I know they worked very hard on site and I heard many of the construction supervisors saying that they wish your teams where back down here this week because they miss the energy and hard work attitude. It's really nice when two organizations can work together to meet the needs of volunteers in different ways. I'm glad we've been able to house your teams and EBCC has done a great job at providing good work projects. A success all around. (Even more successful when you guys bring awesome volunteers!)
Please pass along my thanks to everyone from last week's team so I have a chance to tell them how great they were and how much we miss them! If any of them are interested in keeping in touch with the camp I can add them to the email newsletter list. Keep spreading the word
and blessings again for supporting our mission and helping the Gulf Coast continue to rebuild.
Friday, March 13, 2009
The 14th Trip to Mississippi!
Our 14th trip to Mississippi leaves tomorrow morning, Saturday, March 14th for Biloxi, Mississippi! We have 55 people in all, 52 college students and 3 SUNY Geneseo staff/faculty.
We're leaving at 8:30 A.M. from the SUNY Geneseo College Union and 24 hours later, we will be in Camp Victor. Right now, we have stops planned in Ohio and Tennessee to change drivers. Once we're in Biloxi on Sunday, we plan to spend some time on the beach and do a driving tour of the Biloxi/Gulfport area.
Work starts Monday morning at the East Biloxi Center with an orientation and then it's off to work! We have 8 wonderful team captains and Amanda, Marissa, and Elise as our coordinators for this trip.
We're all a little nervous, but very excited to meet new friends and do some amazing work together!
We're leaving at 8:30 A.M. from the SUNY Geneseo College Union and 24 hours later, we will be in Camp Victor. Right now, we have stops planned in Ohio and Tennessee to change drivers. Once we're in Biloxi on Sunday, we plan to spend some time on the beach and do a driving tour of the Biloxi/Gulfport area.
Work starts Monday morning at the East Biloxi Center with an orientation and then it's off to work! We have 8 wonderful team captains and Amanda, Marissa, and Elise as our coordinators for this trip.
We're all a little nervous, but very excited to meet new friends and do some amazing work together!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
We're Moving Right Along!
Whew! We are in the swing of things now! We've spent three solid days working on our projects and I know we're making progress.
Here's what's happened in the last few days:
On Tuesday, Phil and Krup's group did a lot more mudding, sanding, and joint compounding. Krup, Laura, and Jerry installed sheetrock into the bathrooms. We are so fortunate to have a great foreman instruct us. Bridget and I installed some metal pieces in corners using a power drill (definitely another first for me). Midday we breaked for lunch at a park and met up with Tom and Sally's group. On Tuesday night, Camp Victor shows a documentary made by WLOX that traces the progression of the storm, shows before and after, and the area in its initial stages of devestation. It is hard for a lot of us to imagine water that reached the ceiling!
Wednesday began with slightly cooler weather than we were used to! Phil and Krup's groups began finishing touches on the mudding and joint compounding. We were taught how to "float" the joints and mud the corners. It's not an easy process, but we found it works well with teamwork. We stopped work around 10:30 to go visit Sally and Tom's group. They are well on their way in their house.
We then drove to Woolmarket, about 1/2 hour away, to go to a Senior Center in Harrison County. Livingston CARES has made a ten year commitment to the people of Harrison County to help them rebuild their homes and communities. We were joined by Nick Mazza, Livingston County Administrator, and Cynthia Oswald, President of the Livingston County Chamber of Commerce. Cynthia was very instrumental in creating our relationship with Harrison County shortly after the storm occured. We ate a wonderful lunch of smoked chicken, seafood gumbo, lima beans, and okra salad. Then, we went to the Woolmarket Fields to dedicate a flagpole. We brought a flag of both Livingston County and New York State. It was a great way to celebrate our long-term commitment to this area. We then returned to work- and had a great rest of the day!
Here's what's happened in the last few days:
On Tuesday, Phil and Krup's group did a lot more mudding, sanding, and joint compounding. Krup, Laura, and Jerry installed sheetrock into the bathrooms. We are so fortunate to have a great foreman instruct us. Bridget and I installed some metal pieces in corners using a power drill (definitely another first for me). Midday we breaked for lunch at a park and met up with Tom and Sally's group. On Tuesday night, Camp Victor shows a documentary made by WLOX that traces the progression of the storm, shows before and after, and the area in its initial stages of devestation. It is hard for a lot of us to imagine water that reached the ceiling!
Wednesday began with slightly cooler weather than we were used to! Phil and Krup's groups began finishing touches on the mudding and joint compounding. We were taught how to "float" the joints and mud the corners. It's not an easy process, but we found it works well with teamwork. We stopped work around 10:30 to go visit Sally and Tom's group. They are well on their way in their house.
We then drove to Woolmarket, about 1/2 hour away, to go to a Senior Center in Harrison County. Livingston CARES has made a ten year commitment to the people of Harrison County to help them rebuild their homes and communities. We were joined by Nick Mazza, Livingston County Administrator, and Cynthia Oswald, President of the Livingston County Chamber of Commerce. Cynthia was very instrumental in creating our relationship with Harrison County shortly after the storm occured. We ate a wonderful lunch of smoked chicken, seafood gumbo, lima beans, and okra salad. Then, we went to the Woolmarket Fields to dedicate a flagpole. We brought a flag of both Livingston County and New York State. It was a great way to celebrate our long-term commitment to this area. We then returned to work- and had a great rest of the day!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
We're finally here!
Whew. That's all that we can say after a very long day of traveling. For most of us, our day started by arriving at the Rochester airport at 4:00 A.M. After a de-icing of the plane, we were able to make it to Atlanta on-time. Our 3 volunteers from the New York City area joined us at the Atlanta airport. We had a 3 hour layover in Atlanta before making our connecting flight to New Orleans.
Arriving in New Orleans was surreal. I couldn't believe after all of our planning, packing, and long day of travel, we were here. After getting our rental cars, we drove to Jackson Square in the French Quarter in New Orleans. On our way, we passed the Superdome, where many displaced homeowners spent anxious days after Hurricane Katrina hit.
Once in Jackson Square, our huge group of 25 split off into smaller groups, and wandered about the city. I went to Bourbon Street, saw amazing street performers (jazz, zydeco, tap) and took in the amazingly vibrant environment. Bourbon Street is the area that is famous for Mardi Grad celebrations. We ate real jambalya (sausage, chicken, creole seasonings, and shrimp). MMMM!
We then headed over to Riverwalk, which is on the Mississippi River. It began to rain a little, but that didn't deter us from going to Cafe du Monde to get some wonderful pastry/donuts! After getting to our cars, we began our long trek in pouring rain to Ocean Springs (1 1/2 hours) Mississippi where we will be staying. I think everyone is very excited to be here (finally!) and to be getting a good night's rest.
Tomorrow we will sight-see around the area. I'm happy that we made it safely and that we will beginning what promises to be a wonderful week!
Arriving in New Orleans was surreal. I couldn't believe after all of our planning, packing, and long day of travel, we were here. After getting our rental cars, we drove to Jackson Square in the French Quarter in New Orleans. On our way, we passed the Superdome, where many displaced homeowners spent anxious days after Hurricane Katrina hit.
Once in Jackson Square, our huge group of 25 split off into smaller groups, and wandered about the city. I went to Bourbon Street, saw amazing street performers (jazz, zydeco, tap) and took in the amazingly vibrant environment. Bourbon Street is the area that is famous for Mardi Grad celebrations. We ate real jambalya (sausage, chicken, creole seasonings, and shrimp). MMMM!
We then headed over to Riverwalk, which is on the Mississippi River. It began to rain a little, but that didn't deter us from going to Cafe du Monde to get some wonderful pastry/donuts! After getting to our cars, we began our long trek in pouring rain to Ocean Springs (1 1/2 hours) Mississippi where we will be staying. I think everyone is very excited to be here (finally!) and to be getting a good night's rest.
Tomorrow we will sight-see around the area. I'm happy that we made it safely and that we will beginning what promises to be a wonderful week!
Friday, January 2, 2009
East Biloxi
Here's some links about where we'll be/where we are staying:
East Biloxi Coordination, Relief and Redevelopment Agency (EBCRRA)--- this is the group that will provide us with work:
http://oprahsangelnetwork.org/stories/222-divine-appointments-help-rebuild-community
Camp Victor (where we are staying):
http://campvictor.org/
Happy Reading!
East Biloxi Coordination, Relief and Redevelopment Agency (EBCRRA)--- this is the group that will provide us with work:
http://oprahsangelnetwork.org/stories/222-divine-appointments-help-rebuild-community
Camp Victor (where we are staying):
http://campvictor.org/
Happy Reading!
Leavin' on a Jet Plane
All my bags are packed... I'm ready to go
In less than 8 hours, the Livingston CARES January trip will be leaving the Rochester, NY airport. We'll be in New Orleans around 1:30 P.M. We plan to do some sightseeing in New Orleans before heading to Camp Victor in Mississippi.
Here's hoping this is a great trip!
In less than 8 hours, the Livingston CARES January trip will be leaving the Rochester, NY airport. We'll be in New Orleans around 1:30 P.M. We plan to do some sightseeing in New Orleans before heading to Camp Victor in Mississippi.
Here's hoping this is a great trip!
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