Marquette students bring a gift

Article and Photo by Edwin Lopez
May 22, 2008

Mr. Williams leaned forward as he drove a large wrench toward the wall. Swaying back to gain momentum he again thrust his 60-year old body forward to unscrew the pipe he had been battling with for several minutes. He pushed again and in a swift motion the pipe came loose. The room was dim, but a small sliver of sunlight revealed a layer of floating dust. Beads of sweat covered his forehead. Mr. Williams leaned back to stand upright. He took a quick deep breath and with a smile stretched across his face he said, “Okay, no smoking in here.”

The gas pipe Mr. Williams held in his hand was a stumbling block for the volunteers who arrived in the early morning. 30 plus volunteers from across the country, the majority of whom were women, worked with a sense of urgency to drywall his home. They measured and cut sheetrock to the sound of beating hammers, the hum of power drills, and old school R&B/Soul music. Everything about the work crew seemed to howl college student: from their youthful look to their working attire composed of shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flop sandals.

Warren and Anita Williams evacuated New Orleans the day before the storm. Anita drove 23 hours to Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Hopeful about his return to New Orleans, Mr. Williams rejected the phone number for requesting a FEMA trailer. When he arrived in October 2005, he realized the water had risen over seven feet. The pressure of the storm surge raised everything in the house, lifting and tumbling their furniture about. He eventually got on the phone and requested a trailer.

A year after the flood, six Marquette University students responded to the continued need for volunteers in New Orleans, LA. After getting to know the Williams for a bit, the students proceeded to gut the couple’s home. They retrieved all manner of possessions from the wreckage, but the one item that caught their attention was an old wooden trunk. The mahogany trunk was custom built for Mr. Williams in the Philippines, where he was based during his service in the Air Force. For over 25 years Mr. and Mrs. Williams carefully saved Mardi Gras memorabilia such as masks, beads, and an assortment of other items, and in one sweeping moment, all their collected memories were destroyed. As the two students carried away the trunk to the street curb, Mr. Williams said, “I feel like you’re carrying my life away.”

This moment, perhaps more than any other awakened the students of Marquette to the emotional suffering caused by the flood. They witnessed a grave loss: the trunk, souvenirs, family photos, letters, and all those little things that can never be replaced. Yet, in the midst of such tragedy, the basic structure of the Williams’ home remained. After days of backbreaking work the Marquette students completely gutted the house and brought the Williams’ one-step closer to moving back. The experience was heartwarming, but the determination to help rebuild New Orleans did not end there.

Upon their return, the students established an organization, Making A Real Difference In the Gulf Region and Areas Surrounding (MARDI GRAS). Their focus: to call attention to the areas most affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and volunteer. Since Fall 2006, Marquette’s MARDI GRAS students have returned to the Gulf Coast numerous times. For their return trips to New Orleans they volunteered with Common Ground Relief. Provided with food, lodging, and equipment they gutted and installed drywall in several homes. As a result, their efforts supported Common Ground Relief in gutting over 3,000 houses since Fall 2005. As a part of the 18,000 – 20,000 volunteers who have come through the organization, the Marquette students have played a vital role. Operations Director, Thom Pepper continually praises their work, “Their commitment to helping Common Ground rebuild homes is evident. This is their fourth time here in the last seven months.”

On their most recent visit (May 10-15, 2008), the MARDI GRAS crew decided to focus their energy on the home of Mr. and Mrs. Williams. Almost two years after they first gutted the house, the students found that Warren and Anita were still unable to move in. Although the Williams’ home was not an official Common Ground Relief project, the students explained their situation to David Grefrath, Common Ground’s Volunteer Coordinator. David, without hesitation, made the arrangements. The entire project was a true collaboration; St. Gabriel’s Church partially funded the sheetrock, the Marquette students offered their labor and equipment, and Common Ground provided the students with food and housing. But this visit by the Marquette students was not routine.

They never forgot how their commitment to consistently help rebuild New Orleans all began. They heard the call for help and drove nearly one thousand miles to volunteer. They arrived and saw the need, a need that spanned the entire Gulf Coast. But it was the connection they formed with the William’s that moved them to establish long-term volunteering efforts. Their connection to Warren and Anita may be captured in that one moment; when two students carried out that old wooden trunk.

They recently came back to complete an unfinished task. But after loading up the all their equipment they knew something was still missing. So, in a concerted effort they decided to give Mr. and Mrs. Williams a gift. On their last day here, two students hauled an old wooden trunk to the front porch of Warren and Anita’s house. “Oh Warren, look what they’re bringing,” said Anita. “Oh no,” Warren said. They laid the old trunk on the floor, and asked them to open it. Inside were Mardi Gras masks, beads, pictures, and letters written by the students. Two years after Mr. Williams said, “I feel like you are carrying my life away,” the students returned with a gift and the hope of giving a little of it back.