Come to New Orleans with GFWC, and bring a family home again!

GFWC is thrilled to offer our first volunteer vacation, and it couldn’t be for a better cause! Join us May 18-22, 2009, and participate in recovery efforts that enable families to return to their homes in New Orleans that were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

GFWC is collaborating with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, whose partnership with Rebuilding Together New Orleans/RTNO and the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans makes this opportunity possible.

Volunteer as a club, bring your spring breakers and spouses, and invite friends and family who don’t belong to any group but the human kind—we can all make a difference if we come together to bring families home to New Orleans! We have space for 20 volunteers to join the GFWC group.

Why New Orleans?

Rebuilding Together’s home rehabilitation program targets the populations most affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans: the urban poor. Families that return to their homes in New Orleans – rather than live in exile or in a trailer – sustain a constant, stable, healthy living environment while building their equity and regaining financial independence. With all work done at no cost to the homeowner and utilizing predominantly volunteer labor, Rebuilding Together allows low-income families in communities across the country to live in warmth, safety, and dignity.

• RTNO and its volunteer partners have completed 173 projects to help low-income families return to their storm-damaged homes, with over 34 projects in progress.
• 97 percent of homeowners assisted through this volunteer program are minorities with an average annual income of $14,500.
• More than 10,578 volunteers from around the country have come to New Orleans to work on RTNO projects, providing over 207,175 labor hours worth $3.6 million in market value.

• Past and current partners include Shell Oil, the New Orleans Saints, the Hearst Corporation, Fannie Mae, Countrywide, the Order of Malta, Pepsi, United Way, Folgers, Salvation Army, and Liberty Mutual.

This special volunteer opportunity also helps provide a model for restoring and preserving New Orleans’ historic neighborhoods.