My daughters and I just returned from a five-day visit to St. Bernard Project - a non-profit organization rebuilding homes post-Katrina in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. Our goal is to raise community awareness about the continued need for assistance in St. Bernard Parish and to raise funds and recruit volunteers for St. Bernard Project.

Cindy and Caitlin Meyer are students at The Evergreen State College. Lindsey Meyer is a student at Black Hills High School.

To visit a blog of our trip go to: http://helpstbernardproject.blogspot.com

Some interesting facts about the county of St. Bernard Parish:

• Katrina destroyed 100% of the homes (27,000 residences), displacing 65,000 residents
• 1800 families are still living in FEMA trailers
• approximately one-half (32,000) of the 65,000 residents have returned
• St. Bernard Project has completed 131 homes, and is currently working on 30 homes
• 60 people are on the waiting list
• St. Bernard Project can rebuild a house with volunteer labor for approximately $13, 500

For more information, visit St. Bernard Project's website: http://www.stbernardproject.org/

The New Orleans Monologues

Winter Quarter Diversity Series

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"Hurricane Katrina was the most destructive and costliest natural disaster to occur in the United States . Nearly 5 million people lived in the path of Katrina. An additional 1.3 million lived in the New Orleans metropolitan area at the time of the hurricane. Although not in the direct path of Katrina, New Orleans was devastated by a massive flood that occurred as a result." Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Group

The New Orleans Monologues are the imagined voices of six African American women who suffered the ravages of Hurricane Katrina in vastly different ways.