Katrina: Still Rebuilding More Than 1 Year Later  
(Click for information on financially supporting this trip.)

Imagine waking up twelve hundred miles from home in a tent on the floor of a small-town baseball field and working your fingers to the bone for 8 days to help rebuild a community ravaged by deadliest hurricane ever faced by the United States.

(for some photos of the trip click here!)

Well that’s just what 44 Williamson students did earlier this month when they spent their winter break in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, working to rebuild and restore the town which suffered insurmountable damage in the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. This was the second visit to the town which hosted thirty-nine Williamson carpenters last March.

(See 39 Williamson Carpenters Help With Katrina Relief.)

The team was led by Carpentry Program Director Ken Nelson and accompanied by Williamson’s Chief Academic Officer Tom Wisneski, Masonry Program Director Dan Hiltebeitel, Carpentry Instructor Russ Smith, Food Service Director Tim Burbage and Former Carpentry Instructor Bob Antonelli 8W1.

Chester-based organization CityTeam Ministries coordinated the effort in which numerous projects were assigned to the Williamson crew for completion during their short stay. 

During this time 44 students representing five of Williamson’s six trade programs worked to completely rebuild three homes for families who have been living in FEMA trailers on their front lawns since the storm hit more than a year ago.

The crew also tackled the challenging task of literally “raising the roof” of another home to replace its foundation which was irreparable as a result of the storm’s damage. When the Williamson team was finished, the new foundation was set, a brand new load-bearing rear wall was built and the house was sound once again.

The Bay St. Louis Police Station couldn’t even keep these guys out. There, the men made repairs necessary to keep the facility functioning as the community continues to put together its pieces.

Other projects they tackled include tiling floors and installing new doors – smaller, yet significant, improvements to a storm-ravaged town.

“The work they took on during their short stay gave students the opportunity to gain skills that would have taken three years to learn in a classroom,” said a proud Ken Nelson. Each student had the chance to operate well outside the scope of his major at Williamson, providing an experience like no other and memories that will last a lifetime.

CityTeam Ministries covered the costs of transportation and materials through the many generous donations from members of the community who believed in this vision. Many donations were raised by the students themselves in support of this mission.

When they volunteered for this project, not one of the students asked, “What’s in it for me?” Each went with the sole intention of helping his fellow man. In return for their sacrifice of time, money and hard work, each volunteer returned home with feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment many of us will never have the opportunity to experience. They were able to enter a town as strangers and two weeks later, leave as a significant part of that community.

Interestingly, though the group arrived in Mississippi 50 members strong, they left with 51 as they could not leave behind the 10-week-old mixed-breed puppy they found living in one of the houses they repaired. “Southern Belle,” as she is now called, is now a member of the Nelson Family.

You Can Help

Anyone wishing to provide financial support for Williamson’s Hurricane Katrina relief effort in the Gulf Coast, can do so by sending a check (made payable to “CitiTeam Ministries”) to Williamson’s Office of Institutional Advancement, noting in the memo section of the check that it is a gift for “Williamson’s Katrina Support.” Checks will be forwarded to CitiTeam and donors will receive a note of thanks from the Williamson School.

Send your check to: The Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades, Office of Institutional Advancement, 106 S. New Middletown Road, Media, PA 19063-5299.