Connecting New York to New Orleans: a volunteer perspective

Editor’s note: Wynn Murrell grew up in New Orleans, and though she’s lived in New York since 1971, she has maintained close ties with family living in the Gulf—family who have lost homes and possessions but not hope. Following is Murrell's perspective, in her own words. Even though Murrell has financially supported Habitat for years, "Make a Difference Today" was her first Habitat volunteer experience.

“My fear is that [government officials] bulldoze all the homes, even though some are still salvageable along the levee. These people need housing, but we shouldn’t destroy the housing that can be saved. People need to be part of their own recovery; they need to participate. We all need to participate, and not just observe. We need to do, not just to see. HFH provides that opportunity. I’ve always looked at Habitat as the most wonderful thing in the world.

“Everyone has really measured up. I worked with the victims of Hurricane Betsy when it struck in 1965, and just as it did then, the best of humanity has come out, and that happens every time. HFH is a vehicle for that to happen; it taps into the best of people and people give their best when they give to Habitat. True leaders draw from the resilience and inspiration of people. There will always come hardship, but there also will always come the wherewithal to overcome it … it’s within people and it’s within Habitat for Humanity.

“One thing this has done, fortunately, is it’s brought the plight of poor families to the forefront. My family could get out; they had the means to escape it, but so many families were not so fortunate. I have friends from a lifetime all along the Gulf Coast, and they’re in varying degrees of need.

“First, we think of family and friends, and we think of acquaintances, but then we think of the pictures on the walls; we think of the animals and the trees and of the other things that add meaning to our lives. And when we lose these things, we lose a lot. People in the Gulf region have lost so much of this, and, because so many have been displaced and removed from the area, they’ve lost the relationships, the inner workings that create community. Bringing people together is what Habitat does, and this is so important to help the people hurt by Katrina recover; Habitat helps make possible the bonding that’s so important for families to rebound. Every time I take a hammer and go 'whack, whack, whack,' I’m releasing some frustration that’s built up since Katrina struck, but I also know that I’m helping put things back together … I’m helping build houses.”