Our First Stop

Our first stop was the Rankin County School District. During the semester, the Fraternities and Sororities at Carnegie Mellon put on an event called the "Dollar Challenge." $3000 was raised to be donated to a school that needs financial support in the wake of Katrina. We got to deliver this check in person to the Rankin County superintendent. The check will be used by the school to rebuild the Pass Christian School district, a local area, which was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Many of us in the group were part of this charity event so it was good for us to meet the people we were giving to in person.





While there we also got the chance to speak to faculty and students who were affected by the Hurricane. One teacher, in particular, told his story of how he delivered supplies to New Orleans.

The teacher had a son who was stuck in New Orleans. He loaded up his SUV with supplies to deliver and brought them down to the affected areas. All the main roads were blocked so he had to drive through backroads all the way down to New Orleans.

Our next stop was to a local high school. This school opened their doors to hosting high schoolers from New Orleans that had to leave with their families. We got to speak to the students and hear their stories.







All of the students told us about themselves and how they were affected by the Hurricane. Some had pictures of the damage to their homes. It was overwhelming to see what happened to their homes. From talking to the students we got to hear firsthand what it was like for them to lose their homes overnight. It was valuable because we didn't get the usual spin that the news stations put on the Hurricane stories.

What was most striking to me was the resilience many of the students expressed. I spoke to two girls, Karlatta and Amanda who relocated to Mississippi. Only weeks after having to leave their homes, they were optimistic for the future and expressed a positive attitude towards the future. Both were involved with their new community and were appreciative of what others have been generous enough to bless them with.