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Global Village Trip to Slidell, Louisiana
DAR Volunteers Helped to Rebuild Homes in Slidell, Louisiana on Sept. 16-22, 2007.

(Click on any photo to enlarge.)
Kathy Goodman’s daughter and Debbie Bennett	Volunteer Kathy Goodman	Kathy Goodman’s daughter with Emeril
My travel to Slidell, Louisiana will not be forgotten for a very long time! It was both enlightening and humble. I left with much apprehension and intimidation thinking I would not be of much help in the area of construction since this is not something I have done before. I have barely even used a hammer for anything other than hanging a picture! I think that the turning point was when I met our "team." The DAR team was the best group of people I have spent time with in years. The leadership of Dick Brogan and Phil McGinnis was to be commended. Each day was an event from the "morning circle" with the Habitat group to a full day of work on the construction site. Whether you banged nails or cleaned homes to prepare them for inspections, you knew that everything was appreciated and it felt great at the end of the day to have that thought to reflect on. I had not only committed myself to this endeavor but my 12 year old daughter as well. I think it is important for the youth of our country to understand that some rather "many" children do not have it as easy as ours do and to learn early on how helping one another is important to the unity of our country. I had hoped this would be a meaningful experience for her and a very important life lesson... and it truly was! She gave it her all and never complained. We were able to attend a dedication of one of the Habitat homes to a family and her eyes teared up listening to their story and how they came to this point. As promised when I left Slidell I would tell as many people as I could that help is still needed. I have kept my promise and will continue to encourage individuals as well as groups to take a trip to Louisiana and find the time to help rebuild their community! Again, I would like to thank Dick for "stepping up to the plate" and organizing the DAR team! We could not have done it without his dedication to the cause. - Kathy M. Goodman

DAR Global Village Volunteers	Volunteer Debbie Bennett
This experience with Habitat and with my fellow Delaware agents, three great women whom I met for the first time and the three men from Kent, was a rewarding and memorable week. I feel that not only did we have a great group that worked and played well together, we eight (there was an agent's daughter with us) truly made a difference in La Comb, LA working on the 18 homes under construction. Some under construction for almost 2 years now! Progress was indeed made, each of us working at various jobs ranging from roofing, to siding, to pulling cable, to cleaning, to making facia and trim, etc. from approx. 8:00 to 2:30 each day. The days were hot and humid and we were joined daily by the love bugs swarming. We 8 worked alongside 20 agents from the state of Washington who we got to know really well by week's end. Probably the most disturbing thing to me was the fact that we were the first large group all summer to come down and work. The Habitat folks had only been getting about 2 to 3 volunteers a week until we 28 REALTORS® arrived, thereby explaining the fact that so many homes were started and at various stages of completion, and so many families still patiently waiting. We did have the opportunity to meet some of the folks receiving the homes and attend a dedication of one of the homes to a family that had been waiting 3 years. (of course we did not work on that one) All of the folks could not thank us enough for our efforts; that was a great feeling. Noticed that when we went to restaurants, grocery stores, etc. people were quick to thank us for coming down to help, and they were not the recipients, a good feeling again. Bottom line is that more man (or woman) power is needed to keep the progress going. Just a quick drive through the storm damaged neighborhoods in Slidell and New Orleans makes one realize how much work still needs to be done and how important volunteers are to accomplish this. - Debbie Bennett

This is the house DAR worked on last year at the Convention. As you can see, it still needs to be completed. They told us that there were no volunteers during the summer, so their crew had to do a lot of the work themselves. They only have maybe 4 or 5 people working full-time on all the homes, so they do what they can. They need a lot more work done on the projects. We went to one dedication. The family was very grateful for all everyone has done to help. - Sandy Duncan

DAR'S THEME SONG FROM OUR TRIP TO SLIDELL
September 2007
(SUNG TO THE TUNE OF BEVERLY HILLBILLY'S)

Let me tell y'all about my team of 8.
We came to Slidell from the very first state.
The first thing we did was rent a large van
and drove around the swamps of Loozyanna land.

The next thing you know we were given some tools.
The Habitat staff said "ya know we've got some rules:
Safety first not third, No ladder jumping, wear a hard hat,
Delaware Team said "we're alright with that."

We worked hard all day with our Washington friends
nailing on shingles, making aluminum bends & tying up loose ends,
suffering through the heat and the bug luv fest,
to give some needy Families a place to rest!

After this week we truly understand
what Katrina did to this beautiful land.
And before we all say our last Goodbye
Remember HABITAT IS SPELLED WITH AN "I"!