Wood Construction Center students combine heart, talent and donation to help post-Katrina community
20 students have tools, will travel
SEATTLE – Julia Cordero has moved around quite a bit in her 39 years. Sometimes for school, other times for jobs, sometimes on a whim. She lived in New Orleans for six of those years, until 1998.
A modern Renaissance woman, Cordero has degrees in biology and interior design. She attended Tulane University for a year of medical school and realized it wasn’t for her. After working in the Information Technology industry for a few years, she was again ready for something new.
Cordero volunteered around the U.S. with Habitat for Humanity and found she had a knack for carpentry. Since 2002, she has traveled as far as Australia to build houses with Habitat.
So she carefully researched carpentry programs nationwide (mostly online) and two years ago moved to Seattle to attend Seattle Central Community College’s nationally-recognized Wood Construction Center. Cordero, a resident of West Seattle’s Alki neighborhood, went through Carpentry and is now enrolled in Cabinetmaking.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Cordero was moved to assist her former hometown with her skills. She has been to post-Katrina New Orleans twice: first to St. Bernard Parish in February 2006, working with Habitat gutting houses removing drywall, moldy interiors, rotted carpets, ruined personal belongings, unfortunate pets, muck, etc. The second trip was a six-month stint as a construction supervisor for a Louisiana affiliate of Habitat for Humanity.
Now, the houses that she gutted and de-molded on her February 2006 visit have been taken to the studs and are ready to be rebuilt.
An anonymous donor was deeply affected by the need in New Orleans but was unable to travel to the Gulf Coast. The donor was inspired to sponsor a large team of Wood Construction Center students to go to St. Bernard Parish to help rebuild.
The donor’s generous donation is underwriting costs for 20 students, including round-trip airfare, rented vans, and room and board at Camp Hope volunteer housing.
Forty students applied to be selected for one of 20 slots–wrote an essay, filled out forms, and had to be recommended by instructors.
From May 13 to 20, a team of first- and second-year students — seven women and 13 men — representing carpentry, cabinetmaking, and boat building programs will do as much insulation, drywall, window and door installation, finish work, cabinetry and other tasks as they can. There is even the possibility that the boat builders will help repair some of the working boats ravaged by the storm, enabling the boat owners to resume their water-based livelihoods.
The students are working in tandem with the St. Bernard Project, a grassroots, nonprofit rebuild organization that provides direct rebuilding, financial and community support to families in St. Bernard Parish, La. who were displaced and devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
“Even if you are just driving around, the impact of the visual blight takes its toll,” said Cordero. “You don’t realize it until you leave the area and go somewhere untouched by the storm. Somewhere with green trees, clean streets and homes with people living in them. And no FEMA trailers! You can feel the release of tension that you didn’t even know you had.”
“Most people you come in contact with who lived through this disaster are grieving in some way. Their emotions have an effect on you over time,” Cordero said. “But I was also struck by their gratitude. I was constantly thanked for being there when I went down to help. Many victims of Katrina feel that the local and national government have abandoned them, and they are in awe of the fact that regular people continue to come down to help them.
“Several people told me they were so grateful to see that people in this country have not forgotten them. It seems to give them strength to keep going with the slow and difficult rebuild.”
Cordero hopes to get enough interest in this project from local businesses, organizations and individuals to run another trip like this in spring of 2008.