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AMERICAN PRESS EDITORIAL LAKE CHARLES LOUISIANA
Volunteer center a boost to recovery
Hurricane Rita’s challenging aftermath has been brightened by the hundreds of
examples of neighbors helping neighbors and strangers coming to the aid of
people and communities in need of a boost.
One such uplifting initiative is the conversion of the former Moss Bluff Middle
School facility into the Southwest Louisiana Volunteer Housing Center .
The United Way of Southwest Louisiana, the Calcasieu School System and
Partners in Prayer, along with numerous volunteers, combined to convert the
school into a facility capable of housing and feeding hundreds of out-of-town
volunteer craftsmen that will be required to expedite the rebuilding process in
Southwest Louisiana .
The school had been mothballed for nearly three years when the United Way
approached Calcasieu School Superintendent Wayne Savoy about reactivating
it.
“When the United Way approached the school district earlier this spring about
partnering with them in creating the volunteer housing center, we saw this as a
great way to help our community,” said Savoy .
“Any building that sits empty deteriorates rapidly. The volunteer center not only
meets a critical need in our community, but it also assists us in keeping a valued
asset viable.’’
Vandals had struck the school prior to the agreement, and the facility needed
rehabilitation. Roof repairs, renovations to the air-conditioning system,
refurbishing and reequipping the kitchen, replacing windows, updating plumbing
and new coats of paint have cost United Way more than $125,000.
Groups of volunteers from churches and non-profit organizations have lent
hundreds of thousands of man-hours in restoring homes and properties
damaged by Rita.
But the rebuilding effort has been hampered by the lack of lodging for volunteer
craftsmen from these faith-based and civic-minded groups.
That’s where the Volunteer Housing Center steps into the breach, providing
lodging and kitchen and dining facilities for visiting craftsmen. A sage once
noted that necessity is the mother of invention. In this case, the parties involved
found that necessity was the inspiration for innovation.
The United Way of Southwest Louisiana, the Calcasieu School System and
Partners in Prayer deserve a commendation for their vision, cooperation and
commitment to filling a need that will ultimately hasten Southwest Louisiana ’s
recovery from Hurricane Rita.
