Reinhardt Group Heads to Alabama to Aid Katrina Evacuees

Instead of heading home after final exams in December, a group of Reinhardt College students, a professor and Campus Chaplain the Rev. Leigh S. Martin packed into a van and headed to Theodore, Ala. There, they worked on the first Habitat for Humanity House build for Hurricane Katrina evacuees in the area.

"This trip was in response to the overwhelming need our students felt to do something to aid the relief effort in the Gulf area," Martin said. "This is what we called our mini-mission trip."

A larger group of students will travel to the Gulf area during the College's spring break in March to aid in the re-building efforts after Katrina. For this small group, they spent four productive days on a build that gained nationwide attention.

"We had been told that this build was very important in the area, so our first day, we had a CNN crew there, the Harlem Globetrotters, it was quite a scene," said Martin.

The house was planned for completion in just 12 days, and by the time the group left, the house had been framed and the roof was installed. The group also made a trip into New Orleans to view the damage and devastation for themselves.

For more information

Office of Marketing and Communications, top floor of Burgess Administration Building

media relations Lauren Thomas (770) 720-5514 LHT@reinhardt.edu
marketing Marsha White (770) 720-5512  MSW@reinhardt.edu
graphic design Amanda Brown (770) 720-5907 ALB@reinhardt.edu