As part of our New Orleans convention, the RRA will be volunteering time with Beacon of Hope in a day of service.
Beacon of Hope provides a model for recovery in neighborhoods devastated by Hurricane Katrina as well as other areas affected by disaster. Encouraging civic action, fostering repopulation, providing information and resources is the foundation on which we build and grow. Beacon of Hope empowers residents to facilitate their own recovery while providing a hub of resident driven activities and a safe environment to create the synergy essential for restoring viable neighborhoods and improve the overall quality of life for residents.
Beacon of Hope's Volunteer Department continues to recruit visiting volunteers and has hosted/managed/supervised over 30,000 people from across the nation. Those volunteers have rebuilt several public parks and playgrounds, restored over 20 miles of green space and assisted over 1,700 households with small rebuilding projects, house gutting and general cleanups. Working with homeowners on these types of projects gives meaning to the work while educating visitors on how much is yet to be done. Volunteers take home a real sense of understanding of the city and its citizens and they ultimately become Ambassadors for New Orleans.
We will be working in the Gentilly area of the city, but we will not know the exact site until a week prior to the event. Please wear closed-toe shoes and clothing that you can get dirty.
We will be bringing box lunches from the hotel as we expect to be out from about 9:30-4:30.
This central part of the convention programming is for RRA members and their adult partners. We are not inviting children to participate on this project.
