Project Homecoming

I have officially survived my first week of work as Village Manager at Project Homecoming. It's exciting to finally be doing what I came here to do instead of just talking about it! After a month of various orientations and using up every interesting fact about myself I could think of in icebreaker exercises, I can say that work this past week was extremely exciting.

As a Village Manager, I am responsible for recruiting volunteers and the operations at the Volunteer Village where volunteers stay during their week in New Orleans. My first week consisted of reading up on the procedures, getting to know the facility and ordering food for our first group of volunteers! I was also in charge of less glamorous things such as sweeping up cockroaches, cleaning out expired mustard and mayonnaise from the fridges, and spraying several wasp nests. Whenever I deal with insects and such inside a house or building I always wonder...if the great outdoors is so great, why are all the bugs trying to get inside? Truly a paradox.

The Volunteer Village: to the left are offices, community space and kitchen and to the right are the dorms. The signs along the walkway were made by volunteer groups to commemorate their time here.

Project Homecoming is a faith-based community development organization that is building resilient neighborhoods in the greater New Orleans area. Even 8 years after Hurricane Katrina, many neighborhoods still remain vacant with damaged properties and countless families struggling to rebuild their homes. Many of these families have received funding from various sources to help rebuild but still don't have completed homes due to contractor fraud and banks pressuring them to pay off the balance on their mortgage. The goal of Project Homecoming is to bring neighborhoods back by building homes for these types of families and completing community projects to promote strong neighborhoods with the help of volunteers. The most recent statistics show:

• Less than 60% of residents are back in the neighborhoods that Project Homecoming works in
• 35,000+ homes remain blighted in New Orleans, serving as refuge for crime and pestilence
• 100,000+ residents are still living somewhere other than home, 8 years after Katrina

Through the work of volunteers, Project Homecoming has helped many families once again call New Orleans their home. I am so excited to be a part of this organization and be a part of the homecoming for families over the next year. I am surrounded by people who are passionate and committed to the work of Project Homecoming which is so refreshing and inspiring. My position as Village Manager allows me to interact with the volunteers directly and get them ready to do great work. So far Project Homecoming has accomplished a lot:

• 32 neighborhoods include homes worked on by Project Homecoming
• 200+ homes completed for families that would still be living elsewhere without the help provided
• 380,000+ volunteer hours contributed to bring back families and revitalize communities

Above is the official logo of Project Homecoming. The triangle at the top and the horizontal line at the bottom represent the houses that Project Homecoming has helped to repair and rebuild. The Fleur de Lis is the most prominent symbol in New Orleans and recognizes Project Homecoming as a New Orleans based organization. The yellow "V" stands for volunteers which Project Homecoming relies on to make their mission a reality.

I am so grateful to be working for such a noble and influential organization in this amazing city. Our first group of 30 volunteers arrives on Sunday, September 22nd so that's when the real work begins. If you want to read more about Project Homecoming and their awesome work, click here.

Lesson from the Journey: You know you have been doing too many orientations when you start making up interesting facts about yourself....I told my coworkers at our work retreat that I live next to a llama farm. This is not entirely accurate.