New Orleans Lesson: Your Life Begins with Community Service
On the morning of August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast region with 125 mph winds. As Katrina passed over New Orleans with great force, the storm ripped two holes in the well known Superdome’s roof. For years, elders have told stories of how the Crescent City would be drowned if the levees surrounding the city ever failed. Then, the unthinkable happened! The levees separating Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans were breached by the surge, ultimately flooding about 80% of the high-spirited city. In some places, flood water towered over 20 to 25 feet! Thousands of residents of the city had to climb to higher ground by getting on top of their roofs. Unsafe and unsanitary conditions spread across the city from Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to the Superdome. The soul and jazz of New Orleans had been broken by the most destructive natural disaster in the history of the United States.
As a resident of Thibodaux, Louisiana (about 65 miles near New Orleans), I watched the television in awe as the beautiful place, I had knew since birth, became devastated in only a few hours. Right then, I knew that my assistance would be needed. When evacuees were housed at Southern University’s activity center, I volunteered with the American Red Cross. I served meals to the hungry, consoled children in despair, and located family members for the worried. In addition, I worked with Seventeen magazine’s reader contributors to collect and distribute boxes of clothing, bathing supplies, and books to teen girls. Life had totally changed for me. I learned that with patience and dedication I could be on the forefront to revitalizing the amazing New Orleans’ city and culture.
According to AVERT, an international HIV and AIDS charity, in 2004, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ranked third in the nation with the highest rates of new AIDS cases. As of December 2003, a total of 23,992 people have contracted HIV/AIDS in Louisiana, including 273 cases in children under the age of 13. There are people living with HIV in every parish in Louisiana, and this number continues to increase each year. I live in an epidemic, but I am not afraid because I am informed.
As an active member of Mayor Melvin “Kip” Holden’s HIV/AIDS Taskforce, I confront this plague head on. Our vision is to prevent no new cases in the city of Baton Rouge. The organization provides public education and prevention campaigns, increases awareness of available testing and resources, and researches for additional funds to help the community. In the past month, I coordinated and promoted events for the National African American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. To mark the day, I worked with universities and companies within the state to observe a five minute moment of reflection at 1 pm to reflect on HIV/AIDS and the impact that it has on our city. With the Taskforce, I have learned that a whole community can be affected with only some infected. It is important for society to work as one to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.
My experiences have taught me that life is immensely larger than me. People are suffering from diseases and struggling in poverty every, single day. I have made it my mission, my life’s calling, to assist my neighbors, near and far, with integrity and compassion. My life revolves around not only making a difference in my community, but impacting society with my bare hands and positive mindset. Future generations, it is your time to stand on the shoulders of ancestors, acquire knowledge from renowned scholars, and rest on dew-dropped fields with acquaintances. Most of all, it is your time to begin your life by serving others.
