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Hello HOGC Readers,
Katrina Day of Service by: Kelsey Walter
On August 29, 2009, Hands On Gulf Coast worked with the Bay St. Louis Parks & Recreation department for our 1st annual Hurricane Katrina Day of Service. This event was held at City Park, located in the heart of downtown Bay St. Louis. Some of the projects that were done that day included: adhering hand-painted ceramic tiles to several picnic tables; painting the garbage can receptacles, plantar boxes and picnic tables; the placement of a "story box" which included the personal stories of volunteers and local residents; and a three-part mural dedicated to the city of Bay St. Louis. Hands On also had a recognition ceremony to recognize and thank all of the volunteers, local citizens and businesses that donated to help make the day of service a success. The Mayor of Bay St. Louis, Les Fillingame, came out to observe and thank all the volunteers for the amazing work that they did. Hands On Gulf Coast's AmeriCorps members were there to help out along with volunteers from the city of Bay St. Louis, Keesler Air Force Base and the Seabee Base in Gulfport. To see the photos from this event, click here.
9/11 Day of Service & Remembrance by: Alyce Spencer
On September 11, 2009, Hands On Gulf Coast partnered with students and faculty of North Bay Elementary School in Biloxi for a day of art-making, fellowship and remembrance. More than 40 volunteers participated in the event, including representatives from American Red Cross, Humane Society of Southeast Mississippi, Keesler Air Force Base, Army National Guard, U.S. Navy, Beau Rivage Casino, Chick-Fil-A, Home Depot, First Baptist Biloxi, and Biloxi's Fire and Police Departments. HOGC's 24 AmeriCorps members were also joined in this National Day of Service by two AmeriCorps alumni and 11 members of the Delta One AmeriCorps NCCC team from Vicksburg, Mississippi. Approximately 200 students in kindergarten through 5th-grade decorated a large chalk mural and created cards and bookmarks for deployed soldiers, with the help of their volunteer mentors. All activities encouraged both children and adults to volunteer and serve others in need, with the theme "I Have the Heart of a Hero." Several volunteers took time on September 11th to visit Red Barnett Senior Center in D'Iberville, where they planted hibiscus bushes and vincas near the seniors' new outdoor swimming pool. The plants were generously donated by Home Depot of D'Iberville.
During the luncheon, volunteers remembered the victims of the terrorist attacks of 2001, observed a moment of silence, and paid tribute to first-responders who protect and serve the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The ceremony ended with a song, composed and performed by HOGC member Chris Wolf.
HOGC members Seth Bauman, Alyce Spencer, Cathy Reed, Molly Burr, Jesse Ervin-Combs and Jon Kallin organized the event in cooperation with North Bay Elementary Principal Dr. Laurie Pitre and art instructor Sherie Sekul, and they wish to thank the many donors and participants who made this day a success. For more photos from our 9/11 event, click here.
Summer Highlights at HOGC by: Karin Iwasaka
It’s been a busy summer here at Hands On Gulf Coast (HOGC), and we're spotlighting just a few of our AmeriCorps members' highlights. HOGC members Alyce Spencer and Josh Poole provided art instruction and assistance at several camps coordinated by our partner, the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum, throughout the Mississippi Gulf Coast. For member Kevin Jones “I had an amazing time working with the kids there [at the Bay St. Louis camp] and helping them with their art projects. It made me feel like a little kid again and working on this project definitely lifted my spirits.” Cathy Reed has been leading volunteers in historical home restoration projects in Gulfport and Pascagoula, which has involved days of scraping and painting. From May 24-30, we welcomed 30 enthusiastic volunteers from Kaiser Permanente branches around the nation. Spearheaded by member Johnny Gonzalez, projects included creating an extensive walking trail, painting and restoration of the historic Twelve Oaks property, and painting two murals in the newly created Woolmarket Elementary Grocery Store/Café room. Kelsey Walter developed a new partnership with the Gulf Coast Canine Rescue & Rehab, an Ocean Springs shelter for dogs with special needs, illness or injuries. Last but not least, one of the most exciting moments for Ashley Cartagena was a visit to the Hancock County Historical Society in preparation for the Katrina Anniversary Day of Service. The biggest highlight of the summer would be the awarding of a $400,000 grant from the Kellogg Foundation to HOGC. This will enable us to continue providing unique volunteer opportunities as well as continuing other programming that will be beneficial to the Gulf Coast community. As we head into the fall, we will be continuing with our work here at HOGC and are always looking for new volunteers to help us "Be the Change. Volunteer."
To subscribe to our monthly newsletter, visit Hands On Gulf Coast.
Thank You!!!
Hands On Gulf Coast would like to send out a big THANK YOU to our many sponsors and supporters for their continued dedication to our organization and it's mission and vision. Thank you to our 24 AmeriCorps members for all the hard work that they do in the community and your continued dedication to the AmeriCorps program. And last, but certainly not least, THANK YOU to all of our volunteers. Without you, this work would not be possible.
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