Economy Take Its Toll On Gulf Coast Volunteers

Volunteers from across the country have been an integral part in the Gulf Coast’s recovery after Katrina. But as MPB’s Phoebe Judge reports, those volunteers are getting harder to come by.

The announcement by President Obama last week of a national campaign to get all Americans to volunteer this summer couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for the Gulf Coast. Ever since Katrina ,the Gulf Coast has been swamped by volunteers from all parts of the country who have helped in the rebuilding effort. Camp Victor in Ocean Springs, a sprawling building filled with bunks rooms and dining halls in one of the greatest testaments to the fact. Over 21,000 volunteers have stayed at Camp Victor since the storm, but those number have fallen dramatically in the last year says volunteer manager Kendall Gordon,

“ Up until last spring people were still pretty aware, and realized that there was still a need along the Gulf Coast but since that time, people do think it’s fours years out there is no more rebuilding to be done. In actuality we are only about 35% rebuilt.”

The poor economy isn’t helping the volunteer situation either, making people more reluctant to take time off and spend money on travel expenses. Which makes volunteers like Washington state resident Evelyn Duff, who has made the trip to the coast two or three times a year since Katrina all the more important,

“I began to realize that things weren’t getting better, things slowed down as far as providing help, so I just keep coming down until I feel like I’m not needed anymore.”

Shalitha Dinkens a foster parent whose home was completely destroyed in Katrina says she wouldn’t have any place to live if not for the volunteers at Camp Victor,

“They came in they painted, they did my floors, and they was just someone there to talk to, because I was really just in a depressed state when they finally started to come in, and they encouraged me and let me know everything was going to be alright.”

The Obama administrations United We Serve campaign lasts until September 11th.