Hello RHINO friends!
Once again: Last week, RHINO was blessed to have another incredible group of volunteers from John Knox Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana! It’s amazing to hear how many of our volunteers have come on trips every year…and they all remember the houses they have worked on, the food they ate, the people they met and love to share those stories! And it’s always fun for us to greet old RHINO friends with a hug and meet the first time volunteers too
Last week was no different! These folks have all been down to New Orleans before, but some haven’t been in a couple of years. We started our week off together back on North Tonti Street, working on siding over there. However, that didn’t last too long as the rain crept in…and forced us to move back to New Orleans East on America Street. There was lots of work to be done inside on America Street, so we were able to be super productive, even as it stormed (and flooded) outside!
There were baseboards and shelves to be cut and installed, window sills to be nailed in, baseboards and closets to be caulked, and doors to be painted! Needless to say, there was work to keep everyone busy! We ended up working on America for the remainder of the week, and even got to work alongside the homeowner and her friends on Saturday!
Thanks to everyone at John Knox for continuing to take RHINO trips and for sharing their experience with friends and family back home!
Love,
Avery
PS--If you missed it on Facebook, Magnolia Street was dedicated last Tuesday! Check out the pictures here!
Last week, we were so happy to have our friends from Chicago back for another week with RHINO! They have spent many weeks with us and continue to support this city we all love! When they arrived on the worksite Tuesday morning, they were in for a fun surprise. Turns out, Nissan and Heisman were teaming up to do a Habitat for Humanity build...and they needed some extra volunteers! So, these folks spent most of Tuesday working alongside past Heisman trophy winners, while enjoying a catered lunch and beignets in the afternoon! Don't worry, I let them know that it would be back to normal RHINO on Wednesday! But, they had a wonderful experience working with that build!
They continued working on that house on Galvez for the rest of the week. They finished the framing and raised the walls, and started putting up the sheathing. Some of them were cutting, while most of the group was nailing...and nailing some more! You'd be suprised at just how many nails go into a Habitat for Humanity home! Lots of nail patterns to check before the inspection. It took lots of patience and communication...but they got the job done! They even pushed through a morning of rain and colder weather...only to have a beautiful Saturday to finish their week!
As always, I am incredibly thankful for the many people who make our weeks the best they can be! To our RHINO chefs Jim and Bonnie, to our RHINO tour guides, to church members, to Mobile Loaves and Fishes, to Pralines by Jean and to our Habitat foreman and Americorps, THANK YOU!
And of course, thanks to our Chicago friends...you worked, played, laughed and even enjoyed some of French Quarter Fest! See you again next year!
Hi friends!
Let me start off by saying this: RHINO is incredibly blessed to have such amazing volunteers. You all come here and spend a week building and bringing hope to New Orleans. You take time off from your life back home to spread God’s love and give back. So, thank you!
This week, I am going to blog two times. We had two amazing groups (Chicago and Connecticut) here this past week and they did not really ever get to work together, so the work they did was very different! So, I am going to blog about each group separately! Hope you enjoy!
One of our groups last week was a group of youth from First Presbyterian Church in Stamford, CT. Their leader, David, has brought 12 teams down to work with RHINO and each team is really wonderful. During the week, these folks were split between a couple of sights. One team was on South Rocheblave installing hard wood floors, finishing a side porch and putting in baseboards and shoe molding! The floor crew got used to being sticky from the glue and the other group got lots of experience using the saw. Around the corner on another site, a group of them worked on siding and sheathing. You could find them measuring, cutting, nailing and more. Later in the week, that group ended up on Magnolia Street putting the final touches on the house. They finished the sidewalks and helped put down sod. They did most of that in the cold…and a little rain! So, they were total troopers. Yep, they did ALL of that in a week!
One really neat thing about this group is that they blog everyday of their trip. They talk about their work day, the food they ate, new skills they learned and their experience in New Orleans! If you’d like to read FPC’s NOLA 12 BLOG, click here. I know you'll enjoy it and feel inspired! Thanks for another great week y’all!
PS: Magnolia Street is being dedicated today!! I'll post pictures later!
Last week, we welcomed two RHINO veterans and a new RHINO friend..from Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington Delaware. These guys really knew what they were doing, so they needed little instruction.
We were in the Ninth Ward working during the week in an area of New Orleans that needs lots and lots of work! But, these guys were ready! They got straight to work, cutting and painting the beadboard (which would go underneath the trusses and hang over the eve of the house) and then installing it.
Thursday gave us a little trouble with some thunderstorms, but luckily, we were able to work inside of another house, installing closet doors and bedroom doors and more. The sun came out for the rest of the week and everyone was back in the Ninth Ward, working hard and enjoying each other's company.
This was another wonderful week, and with a small group of volunteers, they still got so much done..so much to help bring new hope to one Habitat for Humanity homeowner! Thanks be to God for Jim,Jeff and Ray...and for all of our other volunteers!
Love,
Avery
Hello RHINO Friends!
Let me be the first to tell you how close Magnolia Street is to being finished! Our RHINO groups have worked on this house throughout the Spring and it should be complete soon. Last week, another couple of groups worked on Magnolia...and like all RHINO groups, they were productive...very productive!
We welcomed our old RHINO friends from Seattle,Washington back for the eighth time! Working with RHINO for the first time were volunteers from Northminster Presbyterian Church from Tuscon Arizona, as well as Michelle and Janica from Sandy,Utah. Everyone quickly found their roles on the worksite and starting working!
The Northminster folks tackled the front stairs, as well as the side porch stairs! There were lots of measurements,cuts and screws, but they finished both sets by the end of our workday on Saturday. These are some sturdy and well built stairs y'all...we had lots of people going up and down all week...and they never gave!
Michelle and Janica were inside putting the finishing touches on the interior. They caulked and painted, and installed baseboards, shoe molding and windowsills. By the weeks end, they were pros on all of these skills!
Our Seattle friends were outside (rain or shine) committed to building a ramp. This ramp is a big piece of this house, as Joe, the homeowner, is a double amputee. So, he'll use this ramp to get in and out of his home! With precise instructions to make this ramp pass code, these guys got it done! They worked all week long on this project. They were joined by some Habitat core volunteers and the ramp is so close to being finished!
Another week in the RHINO world, full of memories, hard work and lots of fun! Thanks to our new and old RHINO volunteers (who are truly our family!) for continuing to support this ministry and this city! Check out the pictures from last week in the RHINO Photo Gallery.
Love,
Avery
