A sign in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, LA. View more photos from New Orleans on
First Book’s Flickr Page

I just got back from a week-long trip to New Orleans, and I don’t think I’ve come back the same person. The week was intense and my mind is racing with impressions of the place and the people I met.

I went to New Orleans with three coworkers to distribute 260,000 books for Book Relief, and counting this distribution we should be right at 4 million books now. First Book is the charitable partner of the US Coast Guard, so we spent the week in their warehouse on a Naval facility on the Mississippi River, and working alongside all those incredible people was an awesome experience.

Our staff and volunteers on the first day in the warehouse.

Most of the men and women I met were first responders during Katrina — pulling people off rooftops and bodies from buildings. In the 4 days I was there, I developed a deeper respect for these individuals than I have for most people I’ve known my whole life. I think I made a few friends while I was there, people who’ve promised to stay in touch but who I’ll never forget, even if they don’t.

One of my First Book co-workers, Kit, came with us on her final First Book distribution. She retired from the organization last week after 4 dedicated years. So dedicated in fact, that she’s made 14 trips to the Gulf Coast just since the storms!

Kit was a perfect tour guide, leading us through not only the Garden District and the French Quarter, but through the Lower 9th Ward and Plaquemines Parish, where I finally got to see the devastation first hand. I’ve posted a few pictures, but it was hard to do it justice.

There is life in these places, but the destruction is still evident. The streets are clear of debris, but block after block all you see are washed out homes covered in spray paint. But in spots all over the city, you see signs of life returning with restaurants and corner stores sporting signs that say “Grand Opening!”. I have to say, I’ve never eaten so well in my life!!!

On Thursday and Friday we delivered books to a few organizations, and they were all so appreciative. This was my first experience meeting our recipient groups face-to-face, and it was worth the wait.

Our amazing City Year volunteers.

A few schools took us on tours of their new campuses, largely based out of trailers but still thriving. Perhaps the most powerful experience was visiting one of the FEMA trailer parks, where 800 children live with their families in 450 trailers, and their community center has a single shelf of books, maybe only 30 in all. 30 books for 800 kids!

But thanks to our dedicated volunteers from City Year, several boxes of books were delivered to their community center on Friday. Yay, books for kids!

As a member of our Corporate Strategy team, I know that the work I do writing press releases and partnership proposals helps make giving books to kids possible, and so I know that I’m making a difference. But to actually be there alongside our volunteers and meet the recipients firsthand… that’s something tangible I will always carry with me.

I don’t think I’ve come back from this trip as the same person I was when I left, which I mean in the best way possible. I hope some of the wonderful people I met in New Orleans get the chance to read this so they can know how much difference they’ve made in my life. I wish them all the best — I can’t think of a group of people who deserve it more.