 |
|
Readers respond on 'volunteer vacations'
Here's what some people say about how their time off shaped their outlook – and in some cases, their line of work.
from the March 19, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
The cleanup effort after Hurricane Katrina
Habitat for Humanity was offering some programs where people could come and help with the cleanup.
We arrived very early in the morning and were assigned to a team with a leader and a person in charge of tools. We were put onto a bus and driven a couple of miles to the house we were going to work on. Our job was to rip the entire house apart and leave only the bare structure standing.
Our leader was not more than 20 years old, and the entire team, except for me and my co-workers, comprised a group of students from the University of Pennsylvania. It was a mix of young men and women. I was stunned to see how dedicated they were to helping. These young folks were hard at work and not complaining one bit. And believe me, there was much to complain about. It was hot, humid, and the smell was unbelievable.
My co-workers and I were the old guys on the job (see large photo), but the group accepted us right off the bat – we were big and strong, and there were some heavy things to move.
It was the hardest work I had done in years, and without question it was the dirtiest, but it was so insufficient. These people needed help and the best we could do was a little cleaning.
The students from Penn were unbelievable – in fact, their efforts have changed my view of that generation. They are hard-working, caring people who will do whatever they can to help others.
– Curt Edge [Chief Information Officer, First Church of Christ, Scientist], Boston, Mass., USA
RSS feed
