Posted by margaret on September 17th 2008 in Uncategorized
“My name is Nghi Tran and I’ve lived in Mississippi for thirty one years. I have five children and four grandchildren and worked at the Lucky Food Mart. Before Hurricane Katrina came, I thought it would be just as bad but not any more damage than Camille. When it came, I evacuated to another part of Pass Christian with a younger sibling. During the hurricane, I saw everything that occurred, trees falling and homes floating as well as deceased residents.
After the storm left, I thought that things looked bad and it would take years to rebuild. My house was washed away with only the concrete foundation remaining. My family had to move into a FEMA trailer and rented an apartment in Biloxi. Attempting to rebuild my house was difficult because I did not have the funds or insurance.”
We are thrilled to say that Nghi Tran is finally in his new home!
Posted by margaret on May 19th 2008 in Uncategorized
SOUTHPAW GUFFAW! We have added super special musical guests Neko Case and Lucy Wainwright Case!!!! And the fantastic comedy of: MICHAEL SHOWALTER / KRISTEN SCHAAL / TODD BARRY / EUGENE MIRMAN AND MORE SUPER SPECIAL GUESTS. JUNE 5TH 2008. DOORS AT 7:30PM TICKETS $25.
Posted by margaret on March 28th 2008 in Uncategorized
We are having another roof-raiser extravaganza!
April 19th at the Troubadour in Los Angeles
Featuring:
Bob Odenkirk
Sarah Silverman
Tim and Eric
Thomas Lennon
Special Musical Guest: Foreign Born
And your host, the incomparable Tig Notaro
Please join us and spread the word!
Posted by margaret on February 26th 2008 in Uncategorized
“I’m Shirley Biagas, and I’ve been living in Mississippi for seventy-eight years - my whole life. I’m widowed, but I have a daughter, two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. I’m a member of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Pass Christian. When hurricane Katrina came I evacuated to the Stennis Space Center in Waveland, Mississippi with my son in law and his family. I was in a soundproofed building so I heard next to nothing. I could hear some chains rattling, and once, I heard the storm cover on a window breaking. It was nothing that would make me think that my house might not be there after the storm.
Eventually, however, I saw my house. It had risen up with the water surge, floated over the railroad tracks, and finally landed halfway between the street and the local elementary school. I had to move into a crowded FEMA trailer north of the I-10. There was an entire family in that one small trailer. Eventually I moved into special housing because I am handicapped and that is where I have been living waiting to move back home.”
Shirley is thrilled to be moving into her new home this week!
Posted by margaret on December 15th 2007 in Uncategorized
Our last Roof Raiser of the year featuring: Janeane Garofalo, John Oliver, Dave Hill, David Cross and a surprise guest.
UPDATE: Mary Lynn Rajskub from the hit show 24 and girls guitar club of Los Angeles has joined the lineup.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Blender Theater at Gramercy
Doors: 6:30 pm | Show: 7:30 pm
127 East 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
Purchase tickets online here or here
Posted by margaret on November 15th 2007 in Uncategorized
We have had a break from the summer heat and a rush of hard working volunteers. We had 145 volunteers pass through our doors last week and they accomplished a great deal. We moved a couple of families in and will be moving in several more before December. We have a lot to be thankful for this thanksgiving.
So Happy Thanksgiving to all the friends and generous volunteers from South Toward Home!
Posted by margaret on October 15th 2007 in Uncategorized
The October Blitz has begun. We have been given another grant from the Salvation Army of $100,000! We have also had the opportunity to partner with other groups for the Blitz project which is to build 10 houses in 10 days. The project began with a partnership from Square Foot Ministry. The Methodist churches in the Atlanta area build the houses in their church parking lot then send them to the coast via a semi.
Because of our excitement we have in turn invited Tennessee Baptist, North Carolina Baptist, and the Mennonites to join in this adventure. As always we are counting on our fantastic volunteers to help bring the project together. Stay Tuned!!
Posted by margaret on October 2nd 2007 in Uncategorized
Wow! What a summer. Before we even started the Sweet 16 we had started building 10 other houses that will be completed at the end of this week. We are THRILLED to see these families move into their new homes.
We want to thank the many volunteers who gave their time and donors who supplied materials and funds. We would also like to thank Tori Justus and Sandy Le for spending their summer from college volunteering with us. And of course we thank Sylvia Rogers who continues to work side by side with Jocelyn as Amy travels back and forth from North Carolina through the fall.
We were hoping to have the Sweet Sixteen completed before the two-year anniversary of Katrina but that deadline was impossible to meet. Things really moved through June and most of July. The sixteen homes were built through the sheetrock phase. However as temperatures soared the numbers of volunteers dwindled. The progress slowed a great deal. Now as we look to fall we have hope renewed by volunteers (again!). There are 600 volunteers slated to come through our doors in the month of October. This is the push we need to see this project to completion. But of course funding is still needed to keep materials flowing for all these eager hands!
With all these volunteers coming we are looking forward to our next big project. Stay tuned for details on the October Building Blitz!!!
We have one more bit of good news to share from the summer as well. The Grey Hut (the office where we have been working from the beginning) officially became the headquarters for South Toward Home. We are honored that the City of Pass Christian has given us this tool to continue in our rebuilding.
Posted by margaret on September 25th 2007 in Uncategorized
…. that is 211 houses repaired and families back in their homes. Not too shabby! Thanks to everyone for their donations and hard work.
Posted by sts on September 11th 2007 in Uncategorized
Our new Project Manager is Jocelyn Mcbride. She is a native of Stamford, New York and holds a Bachelors Degree from Cumberland College. Jocelyn worked in public relations for almost four years prior to moving to the coast to assist with disaster relief. She has been involved in the Katrina recovery since Feb. 07 with different church organizations before joining South Toward Home in August. Welcome Jocelyn!
