Volunteer
Painting, rehab, rain gardens and street cleanups…our volunteers have been invaluable to the Lower Ninth Ward’s sustainable recovery! Young and old, skilled or unskilled, Spring breakers, software engineers, healthcare professionals, teachers, architects and more – they are still coming, year-round, from across North America and the world.
There’s still much work to be done – yet volunteerism makes a big difference in restoring our community from “River to Bayou”. To date, CSED has hosted nearly 3,000 committed volunteers providing more than 41,000 service hours to returning residents of the Lower 9. Volunteers arrive as individuals and in groups: from grade schools, large and small companies, colleges and universities, community groups, non-profits, many faith denominations, even whole families.
Just a few of the many volunteer groups contributing their time and talents over the last four years:
- Bacone College, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Barry Law School, Marquette University, University of Colorado-Denver, Our Lady of Holy Cross College
- Leo Baech Temple Congregation, Unitarian Church of Harrisburg
- Kaiser Permanente, UC4 Software, Capital One, Folgers Coffee, Gibbs Construction, Travelers Insurance
- Sierra Club, National Relief Network, Camp Restore, Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office
- Historic Green, Elderhostel, Common Ground Relief
CSED Volunteer Coordinator (and Lower 9 resident) Warrenetta Banks continues to provide visitors with a meaningful volunteer experience and assist our rebuilding community. We’re also proud that Warrenetta was named recently as the first-ever recipient of the Green Up New Orleans & Deep South Center for Environmental Justice Local Hero Award!
Gutting homes, hanging sheetrock, priming and painting, and cutting grass all remain important ways to make our neighborhoods safer and more sustainable. Today, volunteers are also helping to create new community gardens, revitalizing playgrounds, and building new homes – in addition to installing radiant barriers and other weatherization initiatives. For more information, download this CSED Volunteer Factsheet or contact Warrenetta Banks at [email protected] or 504.324.9955.