…And the Smell of Fresh Paint Lingers

As the students of Charles Drew ran up the stairs Tuesday morning, returning from fall break, rejuvenated and fresh faced something in the air of their school was different. Literally. Up the steps and throughout the front entrance way the smell of fresh paint lingered.

This past weekend a group called Global Hope from the windy city, Chicago, blew into town for their fourth service trip to New Orleans. They came down not only with skill and purpose, but with drive and fire to serve. Global Hope is an incredible organization dedicated to service in their hometown area, around the globe and here in New Orleans. A unique organization, founded by a group of close yoga friends, Global Hope is driven to act in the face of tragedy, working towards alleviating hardships and creating positive impacts. Many of the group members describe having found a deep personal connection with New Orleans. A connection that holds a sense of responsibility to our city and inspires them to repeatedly serve in NOLA. On previous trips to New Orleans, Global Hope has partnered with Common Ground and focused on rebuilding homes in the Lower 9th; however this trip was a little different.

After dedicating resources earlier this year to providing students of Charles Drew with uniforms and schools supplies, Global Hope members decided to focus their next trip on efforts that continue to impact the students at Drew Elementary. With several preliminary projects in mind, the group came and met with us Thursday to create a game plan in preparation for the next four days. Little did anyone know the span and depth to which these projects would reach.

Over the next four days Global Hope repainted the entire front entrance way of Drew from the lowest point of the banister to the highest point of the 20 foot front doors. They worked diligently on repainting the inside entrance way, utilizing a multitude of different, and well… interesting, ladder positions and techniques. Safety 3rd. Luckily, as the weather cooled down over the weekend, the “Green Door Team” was able to tackle the six sets of doors lining the beautiful KaBOOM! playground and courtyard. Another team led by a mohawk clad, master carpenter, installed 12 bulletin boards, and created shelf after shelf of beautiful new books shelves for a storage room in Drew. This storage room was not just any storage room either; it was more of a sea of books, and resources seemingly unsortable, until that is, Global Hope. They led teams of people who pulled everything out of the room and than found it all a home; whether that was on the shelves or in one of the 100 plus boxes created and sent to the RSD warehouse. As these major projects were occurring simultaneously throughout the schools, many other small “fix up” projects were going on, from repairing broken windows, to window scraping, to cleaning out 9 sewage drains, and to the installation of a beautiful series of paintings of the school created by an artist in Global Hope. This group did not just come down with the skill and motivation to implement these projects but they also came with a big, yellow, Penske truck. This truck was lined with school supplies, new books, sports equipment, golf clubs and a pitching machine. Yes, a pitching machine. Somehow time was found to deliver this beautiful piece of equipment to an anxiously awaiting Cohen High school. Go Green Hornets! Phew.

As all of this work was occurring in hopes of transforming Drew Elementary another transformation occurred. By Monday everyone was noticing how “comfortable” they had become at the school in just a few days. Not only had everyone become so comfortable as to walk around shoeless in the halls, or practice yoga against a wall, but a sense of family had been created. Although Global Hope was the connector in the project at Drew, the medley of people it took to accomplish these tasks is unforgettable. Thank you to all of you who came to us through Common Ground. The diversity of the groups ranged from Frank, Larry and Gary our Saints fans and Georgia men to college art students from Florida, to dedicated long term volunteers with Common Ground. Some volunteers had been working in New Orleans for 12 months, while others had literally arrived days before, or even that morning. All brought unique skills, perspectives and hard work. Without the long hours spent on ladders, the carpentry knowledge and the extra trips to Lowes for us, this work would never have been completed. With the sense of family developed this weekend, there also comes a sense of long term relationships. We hope that this weekend will have built a bridge between our schools, Global Hope and Common Ground. A bridge from Downer’s Grove to South Chicago to Macon to Gainsville to St Paul to Seattle to Boston to Rhode Island to Greenwich to New Orleans… and you thought the bridge across Lake Pontchatrain was long.

Once again, while all this work was happening, something else powerful occurred. Another connection. Reverend Adams and his wife Miss Julia Adams came to us. Reverend Adams and Miss Julia are the kind of people who reach out to others in their times of need. Their church, Holy Ground Baptist in the Lower 9th, is based on this sense of community, people helping people, restoring the human spirit. After the storm as the foundations of buildings and lives shifted; Reverend’s faith and church did not. With a sense of hope Reverend Adams and his wife began to move forward with their lives and the restoration of their church. However, as Reverend believes, God’s plan is not always the same as your own. Mistakenly, Reverend’s church got demolished alongside all of his neighbor’s homes. Faced with another tragedy Reverend never lost faith in his vision and the need of his people. As Reverend Adams and his wife continued on their journey, their path soon became intertwined with another group’s, Global Hope. Both deeply dedicated to restoration, Holy Ground and Global Hope gained a deep respect, understanding and friendship for each other. Although Reverend Adams and Miss Julia have not physically rebuilt their church, their wisdom, mission and dedication to the community continue to pour through many other faucets of restoration. Without the resources inspired by Reverend Adams and Miss Julia, Global Hope would not have been able to do the work this past weekend in Drew. All working at Drew on Monday had the privilege and the honor to spend time with Reverend and Miss Julia who came to spend some of the afternoon at Drew. Troy cried… a lot. The sharing of their story and their profound insight touched us all, and expanded our insight into why we do the work we do. Once again, another committed relationship emerges.

The depth and resilience of the human spirit always surpasses what is at first expected. The transformation that occurs when people connect, when someone cares enough to make a school a safe haven, the small things we do when no one is looking such as repair a broken window always reaches into inexplicable places in our hearts. It motivates and inspires us to continue and to be better. It recharges the batteries of our souls. Thank you Global Hope, Common Ground, Reverend Adams, Miss Julia, our students and everyone who teaches.