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“We see the symbol that this city has become in the St. Bernard Project...This endeavor has drawn volunteers from across the country to rebuild hundreds of homes throughout St. Bernard Parish and the Lower Ninth Ward”
-President Barack Obama
On August 30th from Xavier University, President Obama spoke about the state of recovery in New Orleans 5 years post-Katrina. In his speech to the nation which highlighted the hopes for the future of the city, the President championed New Orleans as a “symbol of resilience and community.”
St. Bernard Project is proud to be one of the organizations mentioned by the President as a symbol of progress and hope toward the complete revival of the city. He also mentioned Joycelyn Heintz, manager of SBP’s Center for Wellness and Mental Health and St. Bernard resident, and Liz McCartney, one of SBP’s co-founders.
“We see New Orleans in the efforts of Joycelyn Heintz, who’s here today. Katrina left her house 14 feet underwater. But after volunteers helped her rebuild, she joined AmeriCorps to serve the community herself-- part of a wave of AmeriCorps members who’ve been critical to the rebirth of this city and the rebuilding of this region. So today, she manages a local center for mental health and wellness.”
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He offered a brief, poignant glimpse of what could have been in the wake of Katrina:
“In the years that followed, New Orleans could have remained a symbol of destruction and decay; of a storm that came and the inadequate response that followed… it was not hard to imagine a day when we’d tell our children that a once vibrant and wonderful city had been laid low by indifference and neglect. But that’s not what happened.”
President Obama’s remarks struck the chord of a growing sentiment that has been reverberating throughout the city when he said, “New Orleans is blossoming again.”
The President was correct in proclaiming that, “and it’s not only because of the resilience of the residents of New Orleans, but also because of concerned citizens across the country that lend their support via donations, volunteering, and raising awareness.”
SBP is grateful to be recognized as a vessel of positive change within the New Orleans community. SBP’s comprehensive model aims to reconstruct homes and lives in order to, as the President said, “work together to meet shared challenges” within our communities.
As SBP expands its rebuilding and wellness and mental health services, we want to take a moment to thank you for your support and ask you to continue to work with us to finish the job in New Orleans. We all remember Hurricane Katrina, but, with your help, no one will forget the people most affected, and together we will truly flourish.
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