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By Matt Schauer
March 8, 2009 (San Diego) — An Art Relief Auction on March 14th will raise funds to benefit College Students for New Orleans, a non-profit organization intent on rebuilding homes in New Orleans and restoring lives of people affected by Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Katrina. We travel to Louisiana four times a year with groups as small as four and as large as 37. Our upcoming spring break trip from March 28 to April 4 will be the largest yet, with 50 people. We will spend our spring break rebuilding homes in an impoverished community plagued by a variety of problems. These range from severe economic woes and skyrocketing crime rates to the reason we are there: a lack of homes to live in.
While many SDSU students will be spending their week somewhere relaxing, traveling or partying, 50 "Nawleanteers"-- New Orleans volunteers, all crammed into one word-- will be busting their heads on support beams, brazing their knuckles on nails and sheetrock and straining their joints and muscles in ways that are not recommended, nor healthy-- all in hopes of enriching a family's life by rebuilding their house.
To us, it's definitely worth it. Showing up 20 minutes before a construction crew with equipment ready to demolish a house because of a minor paperwork error makes the trip worth it. Talking with a father in front of his house with the FEMA trailer in the driveway, and hearing about what his life was like when he was a college student makes the trip worth it. Getting lunch provided for us from a thankful family because we are rebuilding their community and helping their neighbors out makes the trip worth it.
When we talk to these people and hear their stories, it shows us "Nawleanteers" that these New Orlean residents are no different than our parents, friends or neighbors; they all have things that they love, things that they want to work for, and things that they wish they could provide for their children.
This is where enlightenment occurs. When these people become humanized, it's not just another disaster occurring in the news where someone somewhere had something bad happen to them, but that our fellow brethren have lost their homes and now have no way of attaining new ones. They are just like the people that you and I know and care about and there is no reason they should have to cram eight people into a FEMA trailer when they should have a home to live in.
This is where rebuilding a house transitions to rebuilding this family's home; it changes from work to something that we have to do, no matter how tedious, methodical, boring or painful it may be. This is why so many people go on these trips, and come back to San Diego ready to sign up for the next trip before even stepping off the plane, because it becomes a passion to help those in drastic need.
In order for this upcoming trip to become reality, we do intense fundraising. The way that we fundraise is to hold an art auction called, "ART RELIEF: The Creative Road to Recovery." Over 35 pieces of art were donated by artists from around the community in any medium of their choosing, from jewelry to paintings to photography.
All of the proceeds go to our transportation to, from and within New Orleans, as well as for our food and housing for the week. There will also be a live jazz band, art and poetry, as well as free food and drinks for sale. Art Relief will be held on Saturday, March 14th, from 6-9:30 pm at the El Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park, 2125 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101. Presale tickets cost$7 for students and $12 general admission. Tickets at the door cost $10 for students and $15 general admission.
Please come and bring your friends, family, and everyone else. With your help, we know this event is going to be great!
Every person comes back changed, a better individual because they went to New Orleans in order to relieve devastation and make a connection with the people who still live there.
Every bit of support helps. It's always encouraging to see someone in class reading the newspaper about our trips to New Orleans and say, "Wow! That's so cool. I wish I could do something like that."
Take a look at our website and the Art Relief website too!
studentsvolunteer.googlepages.com
sdsu-csno.com/artrelief
Read the ECM article NEW ORLEANS JUST MIGHT BE THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT for more information.
For more information, contact Matt Schauer, Vice President of College Students for New Orleans, at (714) 791-3154 or Stephanie Buchanan, President of College Students for New Orleans, at (714) 454-1218; e-mail StudentsVolunteer@gmail.com or StephBuchanan14@hotmail.com
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