Young Adult Volunteers on the Gulf Coast

by Carie Turner

Mardi Gras beads can bring all sorts of images to mind, but the multicolored strands will always remind me of my visit with the Young Adult Volunteers of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. I serve as the part time bookkeeper for the Synod of Living Waters and for the past year, I have been running a payroll for the Young Adult Volunteer program (YAV's) of the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and New Orleans. This innovative ministry of the PCUSA is partnering young people between the ages of 19 to 30 with specific Katrina recovery projects. The YAV's receive a small allowance and there are also three paid supervisors. When the director of the YAV program, Nancy Cavalcante, asked me if I would like to come down and visit, I was thrilled.

Our first stop of our April trip was the Handsboro Presbyterian Church in Gulfport, MS. Three of the YAV's work here, organizing some of the many work crews from Presbyterian churches around the country. George and Linda Bates work in conjunction with Handsboro's minister, Scott Castleman, to pair work crews and projects with the help of the YAV's.

We then visited one of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Volunteer Villages. Several YAV's are responsible for overseeing these homes away from home for Presbyterian volunteers who come to rebuild the Gulf Coast. The YAV's take care of the pods (a couple of steps up from your standard pup tent - you can stand up in these and when it's hot, they can be air conditioned) plan the menus, organize the meals and their preparation and see that these PDA camps stay decent and in order. (Check it out at www.pcusa.org/katrina/volunteer/index-villages.htm .) YAV's are on site at PDA Volunteer Villages at Long Beach, Pearlington, Diamondhead and Orange Grove, MS and also in Houma, LA.

That evening, Nancy and I were invited to a cookout at the home of six of the Gulfport YAV's One of the hosts said we couldn't miss it — there were Mardi Gras beads and plants on the front porch. As we ate grilled chicken (YAV George Hamilton makes a tasty peach, mango BBQ sauce) in the yard, I listened to some of their stories. They shared about the hundreds of casseroles that have been lovingly prepared and sent by Presbyterian Women from all over Mississippi for those involved in the Katrina recovery effort. (Jambalya casserole is a YAV's favorite.)

Young Adult Volunteers working on the Gulf Coast

One of the Young Adult Volunteers, Sarah Ann King, shared that she rides a Gulfport bus each day to work at a ministry that serves meals to older adults. She not only serves meals to these senior citizens, but she has reached out to her fellow bus riders. Sarah Ann knows the names of her fellow bus riders and follows up when she doesn't see them.

Another YAV, Linda Miranda, is planning a community festival complete with health screenings, games and food. (Check it out at www.pcusa.org/nvo/youngadultvolunteers/yavcommunity.htm.)

Several of the YAV's work at an after school program called Andy's Place where they tutor and play with children from the neighborhood around Handsboro Presbyterian Church. The YAV's were putting together an Andy's Place art show.

Inside the home of six of these YAV's are light fixtures adorned with Mardi Gras beads. Before Nancy and I leave for the evening, my new friends have placed an abundance of colorful beads around our necks cool!

The next day, Nancy and I traveled an hour and a half west to New Orleans. We visited First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans and YAV Sue Young. Work crews from around the country stay at the church on a regular basis. Sue helps organize the work crews and she also handles requests from those seeking help through First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans. When I asked Sue about an experience that really touched her, she told me about helping someone fill out a request for assistance over the phone. The following week, while at a church service, she met this same lady who had called the previous week asking for help. This gave Sue a face to put with her work and it has been encouraging to see this woman and her family, recently move back into their home.

There is still a lot to be done in both Mississippi and Louisiana, but the YAV's have worked hard to help in the recovery. So now there are colorful Mardi Gras beads in my office at the Synod of Living Waters — not from a parade, but from some amazing young adult volunteers making a difference on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Louisiana.