AGA TOPICS Newsletter
Second Annual AGA
National Community Service Project in New Orleans Was Another
Rousing Success
By Jeffrey S. Hart, CGFM, CFE, AGA Immediate Past National President
Twenty AGA members, family and friends representing 13 chapters
spread from Washington, D.C. to Washington state and Northern
Michigan to the Mississippi Delta, recently returned from our Second
Annual National Community Service Project in
New Orleans.
We were joined by a dozen local chapter members and represented
various federal, state and local agencies throughout the local area.
Some participants joined us for a day, and some for the whole week
April 28–May 2. Some came a day early for the AGA Sectional
Leadership Meeting (SLM) held May 2–3. And some came early or stayed
late to enjoy the New Orleans Jazz Festival the weekend before and
after our project.
Why did we go
back again this year? Some New Orleans Chapter members told me they
are still not back in their homes.
By one
estimate, as many as 20,000 buildings in the city remain
uninhabitable. In fact, 27,500 families, mostly from New Orleans,
are still living in tiny, 300-square-foot, government-issued travel
trailers across the state, waiting for their homes to be repaired or
for some kind of affordable housing to become available.
Volunteers with Ken and Jenny |
This year we spent the first day working in St. Bernard Parish, one
of the areas adjacent to New Orleans that was among the hardest hit
by Katrina. Some of us spent the morning helping out at a food and
clothing bank. The rest of us spent the whole day (joined in the
afternoon by the rest of the group) working on the home of Kenneth
and Jenny Ford. Ken and his extended family grew up in St. Bernard,
and Ken had just celebrated his 71st birthday the day
before we arrived. He said we were the best birthday present he had!
Ken only has one lung, and therefore can’t do a lot of the physical
work required to get his home rehabilitated. Katrina’s water was up
over the rafters (about 10-12 feet high) and his house sat in that
water for weeks after Katrina. As a result, his modest brick home
and garage had to be gutted. We removed heating ducts, wallboard,
insulation and siding, and jack-hammered out an old concrete porch
and steps, among other things. Ken and Jenny could not have been
more gracious and appreciative.
The next four days we worked on two Habitat for Humanity homes
simultaneously, both in what they call “Musicians’ Village” in the
infamous Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Much like last year, we did a
lot of measuring, cutting and installing. We built and installed
front porch steps and railings. We worked on soffits and fascia
(exterior trim), roofing, interior baseboard molding and closet
shelving. We installed kitchen and bath cabinets. We also painted
and scraped
and puttied the nail holes throughout one house.
Volunteers sporting their
AGA/Habitat T-shirts donated by the National Capital Region
Chapters |
Like last year, some chapters sponsored one or more members from
their chapter by paying some of the travel expenses. In fact, Boston
sponsored four members!
In the end, 20 people volunteered from around the country including
my wife, Roxy Hart; AGA National President-Elect Designee Billy
Morehead, CGFM, of Delta, MI.; Past Senior Vice President for
Regional Services Cindy Osga, CGFM, of Lansing, MI; Senior Vice
President At Large- Designee Karl Boettcher, CGFM, Delores
Kendrick-Foster and Mack Foster, CGFM, all of Washington, D.C.; AGA
National Office staff member and Past Senior Vice President Ray
Harris, CGFM, of Albany, NY; Randall Mahaffey of Dallas, TX; Perry
and Nancy Adair of Bellingham, WA; Tom Wieberg of Jefferson City,
MO; Doreen Shute, CGFM, of Timonium, MD; Jeremy Cockrum of Denver,
CO; Chris Deeb of Rockville, MD; and Kathy Cushing, CGFM, and her
daughter Maureen Cushing, Jane Gustowski, and Wallace Franklin, CGFM,
all of Boston, MA. AGA National Office staff member and Past
National President Bobby Derrick, CGFM, also came by to take some
professional photos of the group at work.
Members of the
New Orleans chapter also joined us at the work site including Knica
Lloyd and
Howard Tamborella. Many New Orleans officers and chapter members
made significant contributions to planning and implementing this
project including Past National Presidents Clyde McShan, CGFM, and
Jullin Renthrope, CGFM, Past Regional Vice President Peggy Javery,
CGFM, Past Chapter President Jill Byrd, CGFM, Amanda Green, CGFM,
Pam Lincoln, CGFM, Knica Lloyd, Marcie Tureaud, Fay and Warren
Wilson, CGFM, and Jessie Anderson.
The Chapter also invited member agencies of the New Orleans Federal
Executive Board (FEB) to join us. The FEB and other agency personnel
who worked with AGA included Bruce Ingber, Cathy Mason, and Steven
Lloyd of USDA, Charlene Reynolds, Julianna Gallego, and Kelly
Schwehm with DOE, Maria Alvarez of SSA, and Patricia Brown with NOAA.
For me, it is so uplifting to be working with my own hands,
alongside like-minded people, knowing that we were making a
difference with every hour we spent there.
As last year, one of the highlights of the trip was the big
“crawfish boil” that Past National President Clyde McShan, CGFM, and
his lovely wife Debbie threw at their home for everybody who
contributed.
Here’s what some of the others had to say, in their own words. Kathy
Cushing said, “I had the time of my life!” Her daughter Maureen
said, “I learned a lot, met a lot of great people and had a terrific
time. This experience was certainly eye-opening and gratifying. I
definitely would love to come back and help out again.” Billy
Morehead said, “…the Habitat project was great fun; meeting new
AGAers and spouses was delightful; making new friends—priceless!”
Delores Kendrick-Foster, who came back again this year, said, “The
group was awesome...learning was fun...and the spirit of cooperation
genuine.” Delores’s husband, Mack Foster, who also came last year,
said, “This was a very rewarding trip…and I look forward to seeing
the team next year.” Jeremy Cockrum said, “The trip was awesome.”
Fred Hoover said, “Thanks also for organizing this memorable
Community Service event, with all
the food and extra activities. The
Louisiana hospitality is second to none.” Tom Wieberg, who came to
work with us while his wife was attending the SLM, said, “It was a
wonderful and memorable experience that I hope to be able to repeat
in the future.”
Many thanks also to the following restaurants representing New
Orleans’ finest cuisine who made sure we were well fed each day at
lunchtime: Louisiana Pizza Kitchen, Five Happiness, CeCe's, Zea's
Restaurant and Gordon Biersch.
Community service is an important part of what AGA is all about. The
tentative dates for next year’s trip are April 27–April 29, 2009. I
hope you will pencil in those dates on your calendar and join us for
all the fun!
Images from the
Section II - New Orleans, LA Sectional Leadership Meeting (SLM)
