Spring Break
Students join New Orleans aid efforts
Tamar Ingber
Issue date: 4/6/07 Section: News
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Mardi Gras has come and gone in New Orleans. Less than two months have gone by, leaving behind a taste of the festive French quarter after the city's maintenance crew picked up all the beads and remnants.
Hurricane Katrina left regions in complete devastation with homes still water damaged and mold infested. With three Alternative Spring break trips focused on Katrina relief, Drexel had the largest application pool for the seven experiences to various locations across the country.
13 Drexel students and an advisor were privileged to participate in an Alternative Spring Break trip for Katrina relief.
Drexel's Alpha Phi Omega, National Service Fraternity, arranged to work for Just the Right Attitude, a food bank servicing New Orleans.
Theta Zeta chapter president, Starbuck Ballner, coordinated the trip to New Orleans to volunteer at Just the Right Attitude food bank.
The diverse student group included 5 APO fraternity brothers, a student from India and one from Nigeria, and a selection from all majors, as well as backgrounds, joined together to devote their week to helping the permanent volunteers at Just the Right Attitude.
"All of them (volunteers) were always cheerful, and for that week we gave them our hands just to allow them a chance to breathe," said Leanne Kissinger, freshman.
Cedric Malone, an investigator, was planning on retiring before Katrina; however, he stayed with the state police throughout the storm, trying to help citizens before and after the storm.
Malone helped locate and rescue those who were stranded on rooftops and highway overpasses--the only place to find dry ground.
He also has the grim duty when finding those who did not survive, in marking their bodies' closest to where they were found, with anything they could find, attaching the body to electrical poles, or any structure tall enough, in order to keep them from floating through flood. "We have hosted many volunteer groups, but you stood out in that you fell right in to their routine like you were from New Orleans and were old friends, like it's home again" said Malone.
Alternative Spring Break was a way to gain a different perspective and viewpoint on a way of life in another part of the country. With the students hard work and a lifetime of memories was gained in a week dedicated to a worthy cause.
Some were even influenced by the devastation to see those causes closer to home, in our own city, needing attention.
"Small things like a smile or holding a door open go a long way, those are some things you don't even see on campus, someone saying 'thank you' or 'good morning' to a stranger," said Starbuck Ballner.
Hurricane Katrina left regions in complete devastation with homes still water damaged and mold infested. With three Alternative Spring break trips focused on Katrina relief, Drexel had the largest application pool for the seven experiences to various locations across the country.
13 Drexel students and an advisor were privileged to participate in an Alternative Spring Break trip for Katrina relief.
Drexel's Alpha Phi Omega, National Service Fraternity, arranged to work for Just the Right Attitude, a food bank servicing New Orleans.
Theta Zeta chapter president, Starbuck Ballner, coordinated the trip to New Orleans to volunteer at Just the Right Attitude food bank.
The diverse student group included 5 APO fraternity brothers, a student from India and one from Nigeria, and a selection from all majors, as well as backgrounds, joined together to devote their week to helping the permanent volunteers at Just the Right Attitude.
"All of them (volunteers) were always cheerful, and for that week we gave them our hands just to allow them a chance to breathe," said Leanne Kissinger, freshman.
Cedric Malone, an investigator, was planning on retiring before Katrina; however, he stayed with the state police throughout the storm, trying to help citizens before and after the storm.
Malone helped locate and rescue those who were stranded on rooftops and highway overpasses--the only place to find dry ground.
He also has the grim duty when finding those who did not survive, in marking their bodies' closest to where they were found, with anything they could find, attaching the body to electrical poles, or any structure tall enough, in order to keep them from floating through flood. "We have hosted many volunteer groups, but you stood out in that you fell right in to their routine like you were from New Orleans and were old friends, like it's home again" said Malone.
Alternative Spring Break was a way to gain a different perspective and viewpoint on a way of life in another part of the country. With the students hard work and a lifetime of memories was gained in a week dedicated to a worthy cause.
Some were even influenced by the devastation to see those causes closer to home, in our own city, needing attention.
"Small things like a smile or holding a door open go a long way, those are some things you don't even see on campus, someone saying 'thank you' or 'good morning' to a stranger," said Starbuck Ballner.
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