TCNJ Students Spend their Winter Break Rebuilding New Orleans

Two groups of TCNJ students were in New Orleans this past January, assisting with the rebuilding and recovery efforts that continue more than five years after Hurricane Katrina struck the area.

Words by TCNJ's editorial staff

Two groups of TCNJ students were in New Orleans this past January, assisting with the rebuilding and recovery efforts that continue more than five years after Hurricane Katrina struck the area.

Forty students from TCNJ’s Alternative Break Club (ABC) worked with the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, a nonprofit focused on long-term recovery of disaster-impacted communities nationwide, and Project Homecoming, a nonprofit organization that manages reconstruction of homes in the greater New Orleans area. For four days, the students worked on a number of construction and renovation projects, contributing over 1,280 hours toward the relief efforts.

“It’s astounding the amount of work that still needs to be done in the city,” commented Sunita Yadavalli ’12, treasurer of ABC and one of the students who planned the trip.  “Our group had an unforgettable experience, and we can’t wait until we return to New Orleans to continue our service work in the spring.”

And for the second straight year, students from the College’s Bonner Center for Civic and Community Engagement traveled to New Orleans to assist in recovery and rebuilding efforts. Members from that group blogged about their experiences. You can read about it here: http://tcnjbonnernola2010.blogspot.com/.