Four Years After Katrina, Recognizing Valiant Volunteers

Four years ago today, Hurricane Katrina became the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

In its aftermath, a small army of individuals and foundations have stepped up in various remarkable ways to offer crucial support to the recovery effort. As I wrote in a separate article today, foundations have increased their giving to reconstruction efforts on the Gulf Coast by $125 million over the last two-and-a-half years. Volunteers have also been a major force in helping New Orleans and surrounding communities gets back on their feet. According to a press release from the The Corporation for National and Community Service, over a million of them have done their part to help since the disaster struck.

To recognize the importance of their efforts, President Obama's United We Serve initiative named this last week leading up to the anniversary of the event “Safety and Security Week,” intended to “spotlight the key role that volunteers play in supporting veterans and military families and in helping communities prepare for and recover from disasters,” according to the press release. The blog at Serve.gov is highlighting successful projects and volunteer stories, and a raft of other activities have occurred (with some still underway until tomorrow) in New Orleans and elsewhere. Here are some examples:

• As part of United We Serve, almost 100 federal employees and members of the Obama Administration will travel to New Orleans to help local organizations with a series of homebuilding projects.

• Today, the St. Bernard Project is inaugurating “4 NOLA,” a national campaign aiming to raise awareness and support for rebuilding projects in New Orleans. Yesterday, AmeriCorps members and volunteers led off the event with a 24-hour effort to rebuild three houses.

• Today, Operation REACH, an AmeriCorps program, will cut the ribbon on its new national headquarters and the new Knowledge Garden Child Development Center in New Orleans.

A resounding "thank you" to the more than one million of you that have done your part to help the Gulf Coast. More help is sorely needed, so let this be an inspiration to another million.

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng