Hey Everyone!

I am glad Rebekah caught ya'll caught up on the fact that we are indeed still here in New Orleans serving. I had written a blog on my own personal site (the link is to the right if you want to read it) about my silly plane ride escapade during the Thanksgiving break--I got terribly sick on the plane! Haha, but fornately I am on the mend.

Today I received a rather devastating email for the rebuilding sector of non-profits here in N'awlins. A close partner of lowernine.org's, The Phoenix of New Orleans, got their tool warehouse broken into and close to $3500 of their tools and building materials were stolen. It is really sad because PNOLA has to almost stop rebuilding homes until they can replace the tools they lost. Plus, this time of year is huge for volunteer trips, so they will have many hands to do the work, but no tools...so, due to the robbery, everyone looses.

I felt called to write in support of their rebuild efforts because I know how tremendous it feels to rebuild a home....and how it feels when you do not have the correct supplies, let alone not having any. You feel helpless and ineffective.

PNOLA is looking for donations of tools to replace what was lost. While our organization will try to partner with them and give them some of our supplies, we have a scarce amount of supplies as well. So, while I know it might be a stretch to buy a table saw and send it to New Orleans, please check out their "wish list" and consider donating a small amount of money to their cause. I will enclose the link to the news blurb on what went down, and how you can help them out, so they can continue to rebuild this city that us 3 SJW's love to call home.

www.pnola.org

Thieves Steal Thousands of Dollars Worth of Tools From Volunteer Organization

Laila Morcos ABC26 News December 9, 2009

Related links Phoenix of New Orleans

NEWORLEANS - When lifelong, Mid-city resident Wallace Turner heard the news, he was shocked. 'I'd like to see someone to help them because that's who's been helping them in the past," he says.

The Phoenix of New Orleans warehouse on Iberville street became the scene of an overnight break-in. Thousands of dollars of tools are gone. "We already didn't have enough tools to do what we were doing, and now the little bit of tools that we did have have been taken from us, so now we don't have anything," says Kristi Jacobs. She says the organization that helps rebuild houses in Mid-city and surrounding areas can't host volunteers or do any work now. "All the things they took are things that are 100 percent necessary to do the things we do. We can't rebuild."

And now, the organization is going to have to rally for more donated tools. "They took a couple of generators, a couple of table saws. They took a mitre saw, they took all of our ladders and wheelbarrows and screw guns and batteries and batteries that power screw guns," she says.

PNOLA's helped many people, like Turner, who's doing his part. He's going to donate his own wheelbarrow to give back.

PNOLA needs a lot of tools to continue their volunteer work. For a list of those items and how to help them out, go to their website, www.pnola.org