South Toward Home

sts — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:59:41 +0000

Iâ€™m Shirley Biagas, and Iâ€™ve been living in Mississippi for seventy-eight years â€“ my whole life. Iâ€™m widowed, but I have a daughter, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Iâ€™m a member of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Pass Christian.

I didnâ€™t think Katrina would be bad, and because I evacuated to a soundproofed building at Stennis Space Center in Waveland, I still didnâ€™t think it was too serious by the time the hurricane had left. I went there with my son-in-law, Philip, and his family. The whole time, 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 worried about whether or not my house would still be there.

David Cross will be performing

sts — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:59:27 +0000

takes place at the Knitting Factory in New York

Shirley says she’s happy to be in her home again:

“fjdfdufufghdufhudfhufg”

CONSTRUCTION

margaret — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:59:56 +0000

This holiday season we all have much to be thankful for and South Toward Home is no exception. We are so grateful for all of the volunteers and partner organizations we have had the honor to work with over the last three years. We also owe the City of Pass Christian a huge debt of gratitude for letting us keep the Gray Hut as our headquarters. Together we have all accomplished so much. We have helped 267 families get back in homes. Not only did we build 61 homes from scratch but we also repaired 206 houses since the recovery began.
We also cannot overlook the generosity of the comedy community. Stand-up comedians may seem an unlikely champion of the cause but they have continued to support the work. So many performers have given their time to help keep the construction humming along we really could not have done it without them.
Now our work in Pass Christian has come to a close and we are thrilled with all that we have achieved. It was really a remarkable experience to be a part of such a conscientious and genuine effort to restore a community one family at a time.

Check back in 2009 to see what we are working toward next!!! Happy Holidays!

CONGRATULATIONS

margaret — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:23:55 +0000

“My name is Nghi Tran and Iâ€™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!

SOUTHPAW

margaret — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:57:11 +0000

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.

ROOF

margaret — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:11:28 +0000

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!

Shirley

margaret — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:25:24 +0000

“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!

December

margaret — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:03:06 +0000

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

Fall

margaret — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:15:36 +0000

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!

October

margaret — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:02:34 +0000

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!!