Giving and Receiving: Family Chooses Unlikely Christmas Present
by Jennifer Kennedy

When Forrest Gump’s mama said, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get,” I’m convinced she had recently survived a hurricane and was trying to remodel her house.

During the Christmas of 2005, my family sat around the dinner table discussing how Christmas no longer focused on religious views and the spirit of giving. Even the most well-intended families cannot avoid the commercialism, which challenged my parents to find a way to express their love and appreciation for all God has created (including my younger sister and I) extremely difficult. My dad (unknowingly at the time) brought the solution home with him when he returned from a relief effort trip in Mississippi in late October. All four Kennedys agreed there was too much work in Mississippi for us to turn a blind eye after seeing photographs and listening to my father recount several stories he heard and witnessed. Presents under the tree this year were not stacked in big, lofty piles. They came as work gloves, multifunction screwdrivers, nails aprons and reservations for the Kent State United for the Gulf Coast trip in early January 2007.

My time in Biloxi, Miss., has been spent learning all sorts of new trades most college students never experience. Carpentry work, remodeling, teamwork, delegating, cleaning -- all skills I will use in future endeavors. I have a greater respect and appreciation for what I have and what I’ve received. More importantly, this trip has made me reflect, ponder and challenge my preconceived notions.

>> Continue reading Jennifer Kennedy's story.

Jennifer Kennedy is a senior communications studies major at Kent State University. She traveled to the Gulf Coast Jan. 4-11 with her mother, father and sister, a student at Kent State Stark Campus.

Back to Biloxi

A volunteer's experience

What has changed? This is the question I encountered frequently after returning from the Jan. 4 -11 volunteer Hurricane Katrina relief trip, organized by the group Kent State United for the Gulf Coast.

The first time I was asked, the question gave me pause – I believe I said something like, “things are significantly different, yet still the same.” Unsatisfied with my answer, I continue to grapple with that question.

On the surface, the city of Biloxi shows signs of life that were not visible in March 2006, when 400-plus Kent State volunteers first worked in the region. For instance, the Beau Rivage casino has been rebuilt; the building is quite a spectacle, something you’d see on the Strip in Las Vegas, and a large digital billboard advertises the stream of celebrity entertainers slated to make appearances there in the coming months. While some businesses have chosen not to come back, many have completed new structures and are serving customers.

Noticeably, the amount of debris lining the roads and people’s yards has been reduced. If you’d never been to Biloxi before the hurricane, you might think that litter was an acceptable feature of the landscape to the area’s inhabitants. But as someone who’d seen the devastation in the months after the hurricane, I know the scattered trash is a marked improvement over the mountains of debris previously present.

Signs of life absent in the wake of the storm have begun to reappear – seagulls circle over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and land on the beaches; trees, some stripped of bark, sprout leaves where there were none, though the leaves are a most unusual shade of green.

Despite these differences, much remains the same in the region: The water of the gulf is not safe for swimmers; volunteers and laborers from out-of-state comprise about half of Biloxi’s population; and the people whose homes have been destroyed are in varying stages of reconstructing their lives.

Some, because of disputes with insurance companies or lack of insurance altogether, are in a holding pattern -- one name among hundreds who’ve suffered the same loss -- doing what they can to repair their homes and waiting on help from volunteers. Some with money to rebuild have done so, while others have fallen prey to contractors who charge outrageous sums for jobs, then either do the job incorrectly or don’t finish the job. The justice system cannot keep pace with the number of fraud cases. Honest professionals are needed to do the jobs volunteers cannot tackle, such as mold remediation.

Chandra Levine, a Gulfport resident, recounted her family’s struggle in the aftermath of the hurricane. Before she and her husband could begin rebuilding their home, they had to address the mold that coated the two-by-fours throughout their home’s walls. Cultures of the mold were taken to determine the types present in the home – Levine says seven different kinds of mold were found, three of which were carcinogenic, another of which was unidentifiable.

Before the expensive process of removing the mold began, mold found its way into Chandra’s husband’s elbow, leading to a painful infection and surgery.

Stories like the Levine’s are waiting to be told, and volunteers quickly learn that the people they are helping need a listening ear as much as their homes need ceiling repairs and new coats of paint.

From this experience, I learned what it truly means to be a volunteer. Adaptability, good humor and the desire to do the job well are essential.

My work crew was charged with the task of painting the home of Carol Sue, a Gulfport resident. The carpet had been ripped out, leaving only the cement floor; signs of attempts at painting Carol had made graced the kitchen walls. All of 100 pounds, Carol Sue’s failing health made it difficult for her to do home repairs. Our crew got to work immediately, covering and moving furniture, scraping the hallway ceiling, filling in holes, sanding over the holes, cleaning and painting. Carol Sue rewarded our efforts with homemade red beans and rice, and banana pudding; we presented her with a framed photo of the crew and a Kent State t-shirt.

As awed as I was by the amount we accomplished in three days of work on one house, I was as impressed with the energy, enthusiasm and kindness exhibited by my fellow volunteers. Strangers came together to help a stranger. Now, I’m proud to count these people among my friends, and I am connected to a part of the country with which I previously shared no ties.

More than anything, the experience convinced me of the power of community and the need to strengthen our communities, for the purposes of enriching our lives and developing the relationships that sustain us through difficulties and disaster.

Registration is now open for the March 24-31 Kent State United for the Gulf Coast relief trip. The cost of the trip ($299 per person) includes transportation, food and lodging. The trip is open to the public; register online or call 330-672-9292 for details.