Volunteers with the Heartfelt Service Projects in New Orleans, August 2006

A Successful Heartfelt New Orleans Back to School Service Project
by Patti Rayner, photos by Alexandra Crenna De Furio

Click here to view photos from Heartfelt's New Orleans service project.

Hello dear Heartfelt Donors, Friends and Supporters,

Our team of 13 has returned from Louisiana with countless warm memories and deep gratitude for the opportunity to bring Light and happy hearts to so many children and adults worn down by grief and loss.

In New Orleans there is no time or place for children among parents who are trying to rebuild or find their lives, and a city in post-traumatic stress; so the children have become withdrawn, quiet and serious. It was very gratifying to see the smiles and hear the gleeful laughs of children during our 2 events.

In preparing for this service project, I'd never seen such a "hurricane" of giving, desperation, generosity, lack, abundance, need, joy and pain. Hearts opened to receive and hearts gushed forth to give - in amazingly enormous proportions! It made me wonder what in the world we would find on this journey.

On August 3, we helped distribute supply-laden backpacks to 800+ New Orleans-evacuated children living at a Baton Rouge trailer park. After receiving the shipment of Heartfelt's 1,000 backpacks, the community was inspired to come together and put on a great day for the kids. There were health and dental check-ups, a Jambalaya lunch, clowns, as well as the distribution of Heartfelt's school supplies...a true communal/family gathering and celebration! Just before leaving L.A., I got the following letter from a mother living in this trailer park:

"Dear Heartfelt Foundation, I want to personally thank you guys for your act of kindness. I live at Renaissance Village in Baton Rouge and am an evacuee from New Orleans and on Aug. 3 you guys will be responsible for putting smiles on the faces of many kids, and parents as well. I have a deep respect for education and you guys are supplying our kids with the essential needs for school. School supplies and backpacks was a great idea. It's good to know that someone still cares about the evacuees of Hurricane Katrina, because believe it or not, it takes a lot to recover over something so devastating. God bless you guys and good luck with future projects. Thanks, Trina McKinney"

I didn't get to meet Trina personally, but I hope she was happy with the day!

In the next 36 hours we secured donations of Coca Cola, hot dogs and water, planned major logistics, learned to navigate the city, shopped for project supplies, and unpacked and schlepped hundreds of boxes that had been shipped to our staging area at Asia Baptist Church in the 7th Ward. All the while, scouring the city for volunteers to help on August 5.

Local businesses, in spite of their losses, supplied us with trucks, hotel rooms, party supplies, gave discounts, cheered us on by their deep gratitude, and confirmed the great need in their city for Heartfelt's loving touch.

Our traveling team was extraordinary and gave every bit of their heart, energy, laughter, tears, time and sweat (literally!) to pull this off. Whatever was needed, they did willingly and made the impossible, possible. And the volunteers that blessed our event came from churches throughout the city - another "first" - in that Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Unitarians and Catholics dropped any lines of separation and worked as a united team in service to the greater need.

The service project was wonder-filled! We had hot dogs, Subways, coke, lemonade, snow cones, popcorn, cookies, a moon bouncer, a New Orleans brass band, face painting, balloons, arts and crafts, along with an unending supply of gifts, school supplies and backpacks for every child. Smiles and laughter were unending among the kids and their parents...and all of us. God (and all of you) blessed us with so much to share and leave with the city of New Orleans.

Thank you for helping to make it possible.

In loving service,

Patti

For more information about the Heartfelt Foundation, visit their website at www.heartfelt.org .


Click on the titles below to read the full story:

An Update on Heartfelt's New Orleans Back to School Service Project

A Joyful Sharing from a Heartfelt Mexico Service Project

Heartfelt Celebrates 30 Years of Heartfelt Service

The Spirit of Christ-mass Present

Heartfelt Christmas Projects in Mexico City, Mexico and Itatiba, Brazil

A Real Heartfelt Belly Laugh at the Heartfelt Foundation’s Fundraiser at the Comedy Store

Heartfelt's Thanksgiving Projects, 2007

A Successful Heartfelt New Orleans Back to School Service Project

A Soldier's Thank You

Heartfelt's Christmas Service Projects, 2007

News from Heartfelt in Mexico City

A Message from Patti Rayner of the Heartfelt Foundation

Heartfelt Foundation Receives Service Award

Gratitude and Celebration, June 2003