When I leave Southern Louisiana on Saturday, I will miss:
1. The friendliness and greetings that come with living in a small Southern town, like being called Baby, Sugar, Sweet, and even Miss Karen. People I've never seen before wave and smile, even calling from their cars, "How y'all doin'?"
2. The response of Baldwin and surrounding communities to staff and volunteers at this place. For example, voices at the other end of the phone immediately soften and become happily engaged when I say, "This is Karen Peter, calling from the Outreach Office at UMCOR Sager Brown."
3. Church Baldwin-style. What better option do you have on a Sunday morning than church, church and more church. Parishoners must feel cheated if the service is any less than two to three hours. The prayers are pleading, the music is soaring, the sermons are insistent, everything is punctuated by congregational commentary. I will never feel the same way about worship again. Yes, yes Lord!
4. Mardi Gras Trees. When I arrived in town on Epiphany eve, January 5, the Wal-Mart in Morgan City was off-loading what I thought were Christmas trees. I had to think for a moment before I remembered from a previous trip that they were for Mardi Gras. Most folks simply
take their Christmas deco off their trees and break out the purple, green and gold. There are colored foil strips and rolls, feathers, masks, hats and, of course, beads. Mickey Mouse Head Start has a Mardi Gras tree. Raintree Elementary has one decorated with masks made by its students. Chez Hope has an elaborate one, done by staff, residents and volunteers. Festive, gaudy Mardi Gras trees are everywhere.
5. Fellow volunteers from many places, each with interesting expertise of their own, interrupting their lives to be in service to this community and to the world on this sacred ground.
6. The seemingly endless trains, reassuring in the daytime, then crooning lullabies at night.
It has surely been good to be busy in Baldwin.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Mardi Gras
Now that I've read the Mardi Gras flyer from the local Wynn-Dixie and attended the Jeanerette Mardi Gras Parade, I can write the following:
Mardi Gras literally means Fat Tuesday and is always the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is the last day of revelry before the forty days of Lent, which ends with Easter Sunday.
The Carnival Season begins January 6, on the Feast of the Epiphany, or Twelfth Night. The origin of the word 'Carnival' is from Latin, meaning "farewell to the flesh," when one is expected to forego earthly pleasures.
The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are: Purple=Justice, Green=Faith and Gold=Power.
The King Cake is an oval-shaped, sweetened, yeast bread covered with sugar topping and decorated in traditional Mardi Gras colors. The colorful topping represents a jeweled crown in honor of the Three Wise Men who visited the Christ Child. Finding the tiny, plastic Baby Jesus inside the King Cake is a sign of (take your pick): 1)You're King/Queen for a year, 2)Good Luck, or 3)You get to buy the next King Cake!
Every Louisiana town has a Mardi Gras parade. Cities generally have more than one, often three or four. New Orleans has too many parades to count. Jeanerette is about nine miles northwest of Baldwin and held its parade today. (Baldwin's parade is next Saturday.). If Jeanerette is typical, Mardi Gras parades are mostly about the beads. Truck after truck, car after car and float after float carried people who were tossing strings of beads to the parade watchers. Head Start had several princes and princesses, social clubs had several kings and queens; all of them were tossing out beads. Their drivers were throwing bead necklaces as well. People ran out into the street with shopping bags to pick them up. There was some candy, but mostly it was all about beads. There were metal beads, plastic beads, small beads, large and jumbo beads, round beads, long, shaped and patterned beads. The only people not involved with beads were the bands, drill teams, dancers and baton twirlers, and they were stepping on and around the unclaimed beads. I think the importance of Mardi Gras here eclipses Christmas. It was quite the happy cultural event. I'm glad I went.
Mardi Gras literally means Fat Tuesday and is always the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is the last day of revelry before the forty days of Lent, which ends with Easter Sunday.
The Carnival Season begins January 6, on the Feast of the Epiphany, or Twelfth Night. The origin of the word 'Carnival' is from Latin, meaning "farewell to the flesh," when one is expected to forego earthly pleasures.
The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are: Purple=Justice, Green=Faith and Gold=Power.
The King Cake is an oval-shaped, sweetened, yeast bread covered with sugar topping and decorated in traditional Mardi Gras colors. The colorful topping represents a jeweled crown in honor of the Three Wise Men who visited the Christ Child. Finding the tiny, plastic Baby Jesus inside the King Cake is a sign of (take your pick): 1)You're King/Queen for a year, 2)Good Luck, or 3)You get to buy the next King Cake!
Every Louisiana town has a Mardi Gras parade. Cities generally have more than one, often three or four. New Orleans has too many parades to count. Jeanerette is about nine miles northwest of Baldwin and held its parade today. (Baldwin's parade is next Saturday.). If Jeanerette is typical, Mardi Gras parades are mostly about the beads. Truck after truck, car after car and float after float carried people who were tossing strings of beads to the parade watchers. Head Start had several princes and princesses, social clubs had several kings and queens; all of them were tossing out beads. Their drivers were throwing bead necklaces as well. People ran out into the street with shopping bags to pick them up. There was some candy, but mostly it was all about beads. There were metal beads, plastic beads, small beads, large and jumbo beads, round beads, long, shaped and patterned beads. The only people not involved with beads were the bands, drill teams, dancers and baton twirlers, and they were stepping on and around the unclaimed beads. I think the importance of Mardi Gras here eclipses Christmas. It was quite the happy cultural event. I'm glad I went.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
People Power
Today is glorious in Southern Louisiana. Yesterday we got our sunshine in liquid form, but today the sky is blue and cloudless with a high of fifty-something. Good thing, too, because we are close to the height of Carnival season and there are parades everywhere for the next week before it all culminates in Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). Jo was going to do February Food Distribution, as always, on the fourth Wednesday of the month. That would be Ash Wednesday, the day after Mardi Gras. When she told Catholic Charities, our sister organization on the project, about plowing ahead as usual, they said, "You're not from around here, are you?" Jo replied she was from Atlanta, and they explained, "On Ash Wednesday, most folks in these parts will either be in bed or in church." Food Distribution this month will be on February 29th.
So, Jo is the Director of Outreach Services here at UMCOR Sager Brown. That means she coordinates not only monthly food distribution, but also Hearts and Hands for Homes (local home repair), volunteerism in the community (Chez Hope, Head Start, etc.), and campus worship opportunities for volunteers (primarily the weekly Vesper Service). I am partial to her because she is my boss.
As with all volunteer nonprofits, USB is staffed with people whose jobs are designed to maximize volunteer usefulness and potential. USB is extremely good at this, because it has an excellent staff.
Kathy is the Executive Director of Relief Services for UMCOR. She lives in a house on the USB campus and coordinates the efforts of seven depots, the one here being the largest. She is a
hands-on person who mingles with volunteers and staff at every level and whose career military service and deaconess background dovetail nicely into organizational efficiency and spiritual understanding.
Bill and Dianna sold their home and left their lucrative careers so they could work as volunteers. This was serendipitous as shortly thereafter Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Bill
organized a fleet of relief supply delivery trucks here, Dianna coordinated it, and they never looked back. They run Volunteer Services. Bill staffs USB with long-term volunteers (those serving for anywhere from four weeks to six months) and oversees the campus itself. Every short-term volunteer has Bill's cellphone number on the back of her name tag for emergencies.
Dianna schedules in and oversees the paperwork and finances of the more than 3,000 short-term
volunteers who serve at USB each year. (Late last year, Dianna was diagnosed with breast cancer and she is currently in Dallas receiving treatment. Please keep her in your prayers. Bill leaves to join her next week.)
Bettye is Director of Financial Operations. She oversees the USB budget. She is a rabid Saints fan. Misty is our new Administrative Secretary; she does a little bit of everything
capably and willingly. Debbie, Joanne and Sonia are the USB cooks and they are fabulous! All our bread (except toast) is fresh baked (including Communion); their sweet potato pancakes, casseroles, boiled shrimp, red beans and rice and desserts are divine! When people say they're going out to eat here, I say, "Why?" Pat, Jondalyon and Faye are the Housekeeping Department. They do more washing, sweeping, vacuuming and cleaning than I even want to think about. Jimmy, Richard and Alvin are the Maintenance Department. Jimmy zips around in his golf cart with the American flag flapping in the breeze. If it's broken or it needs to be pruned or mowed, unlocked or locked, they're the ones to do it.
Glenn, Ro, Freddie and Florida oversee the Depot, including the sewing room. They educate the volunteers so all work is up to code, load and store pallets and keep track of everything. They make the Depot hum, and when a shipment needs to go out, they take care of that, too.
All that's left are the Volunteers, the folks who give reason and justification to all of the above, and who are--for their week or more, happy to be busy in Baldwin.
So, Jo is the Director of Outreach Services here at UMCOR Sager Brown. That means she coordinates not only monthly food distribution, but also Hearts and Hands for Homes (local home repair), volunteerism in the community (Chez Hope, Head Start, etc.), and campus worship opportunities for volunteers (primarily the weekly Vesper Service). I am partial to her because she is my boss.
As with all volunteer nonprofits, USB is staffed with people whose jobs are designed to maximize volunteer usefulness and potential. USB is extremely good at this, because it has an excellent staff.
Kathy is the Executive Director of Relief Services for UMCOR. She lives in a house on the USB campus and coordinates the efforts of seven depots, the one here being the largest. She is a
hands-on person who mingles with volunteers and staff at every level and whose career military service and deaconess background dovetail nicely into organizational efficiency and spiritual understanding.
Bill and Dianna sold their home and left their lucrative careers so they could work as volunteers. This was serendipitous as shortly thereafter Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Bill
organized a fleet of relief supply delivery trucks here, Dianna coordinated it, and they never looked back. They run Volunteer Services. Bill staffs USB with long-term volunteers (those serving for anywhere from four weeks to six months) and oversees the campus itself. Every short-term volunteer has Bill's cellphone number on the back of her name tag for emergencies.
Dianna schedules in and oversees the paperwork and finances of the more than 3,000 short-term
volunteers who serve at USB each year. (Late last year, Dianna was diagnosed with breast cancer and she is currently in Dallas receiving treatment. Please keep her in your prayers. Bill leaves to join her next week.)
Bettye is Director of Financial Operations. She oversees the USB budget. She is a rabid Saints fan. Misty is our new Administrative Secretary; she does a little bit of everything
capably and willingly. Debbie, Joanne and Sonia are the USB cooks and they are fabulous! All our bread (except toast) is fresh baked (including Communion); their sweet potato pancakes, casseroles, boiled shrimp, red beans and rice and desserts are divine! When people say they're going out to eat here, I say, "Why?" Pat, Jondalyon and Faye are the Housekeeping Department. They do more washing, sweeping, vacuuming and cleaning than I even want to think about. Jimmy, Richard and Alvin are the Maintenance Department. Jimmy zips around in his golf cart with the American flag flapping in the breeze. If it's broken or it needs to be pruned or mowed, unlocked or locked, they're the ones to do it.
Glenn, Ro, Freddie and Florida oversee the Depot, including the sewing room. They educate the volunteers so all work is up to code, load and store pallets and keep track of everything. They make the Depot hum, and when a shipment needs to go out, they take care of that, too.
All that's left are the Volunteers, the folks who give reason and justification to all of the above, and who are--for their week or more, happy to be busy in Baldwin.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
FYI II
Last week we said goodbye to Arkansas, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. This week we said hello to Colorado, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. This will be my first week here without a volunteer from Minnesota. Those folks are serious about their volunteering! (On a silly note: We had a gal from Savanna UMC in Illinois last week whose name was Virginia. For some reason I had a hard time remembering if she was Savanna from Virginia or Virginia from Illinois. I got so I just called her Savanna. We laughed a lot.) It is always hard to say farewell on Friday. The parking lot empties at midday and stays empty till mid afternoon on Sunday when it fills again. Saturday is restful, but subdued. Sunday evening's Welcome and Information meeting brings new energy and enthusiasm. This week we have around sixty volunteers. USB is considered full at forty-five to sixty-five.
Friday, one of our major water heaters in Zook Hall died. Zook Hall is the USB dorm. Peck Hall is all apartments (eight, including two occupied by full-time staff). There are twelve RV hookups which wrap around the residence/admin/bayou side of the campus. Anyhow, the dead water heater will hopefully be replaced on Monday, tomorrow. In the meantime, Jan, our long term volunteer hostess, said the faucets will all yield, if not necessarily hot, at least fresh, safe water, which is more than can be said in most of the world. Sobering.
The reason USB turned out to be such a good base for relief work during Hurricane Andrew in the 90s, then again during Katrina and Rita, is that it is fifteen feet above sea level. That is considered higher ground in these parts.
Jerry, a long term volunteer from Colorado, says one out of five homes in Baldwin has been worked on by USB volunteers.
Friday, one of our major water heaters in Zook Hall died. Zook Hall is the USB dorm. Peck Hall is all apartments (eight, including two occupied by full-time staff). There are twelve RV hookups which wrap around the residence/admin/bayou side of the campus. Anyhow, the dead water heater will hopefully be replaced on Monday, tomorrow. In the meantime, Jan, our long term volunteer hostess, said the faucets will all yield, if not necessarily hot, at least fresh, safe water, which is more than can be said in most of the world. Sobering.
The reason USB turned out to be such a good base for relief work during Hurricane Andrew in the 90s, then again during Katrina and Rita, is that it is fifteen feet above sea level. That is considered higher ground in these parts.
Jerry, a long term volunteer from Colorado, says one out of five homes in Baldwin has been worked on by USB volunteers.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Raintree Elementary School
Like much of January, the temperature in Baldwin is well into the 70s today. Because the sky is a deep gray and rain has been pelting my apartment windows in Peck Hall, it is also plenty humid, even indoors. Residents say January felt more like March this year, and they're concerned about the heat come summertime.
This morning, before the rain, I jumped rope on one end of the basketball court while boys shot hoops on the other end. Then I walked past La Jolie Dame and the convenience store/gas station where the Middle Eastern cashier named (I think) Dahmir calls me Kah-reenie when I come in for two cans of Coke for a dollar. I was on my way to mail postcards at the little Baldwin post office, just a couple doors down from old Baldwin Elementary School, which is deserted, even though the sign on the school fence still clearly states: Be Drug Free.
Baldwin and five other elementary schools closed about four years ago when the local Chitimacha Tribe of Native Americans donated a large parcel of land, purchased with profits from their casino, for a new elementary school. Raintree Elementary sits on open land, at least a half-mile away from any other structures. It is simply, but beautifully designed, and as it's taken in the students from six schools, it's big, with wide halls and bright, functional, updated classrooms. The class size runs 20-25 students and there are at least five classes of each grade, K-6. There are aides and curriculum facilitators and even physical education coaches. The office is run by Pam, administrative assistant, and Penny, competent, compassionate and, I'm sure, underpaid secretary and it functions with amazing precision. When UMCOR Sager Brown volunteers arrive Thursday morning, they are placed in classrooms where they were chosen at Wednesday afternoon's staff meeting. Usually, volunteers tutor students one-on-one in reading and math, but last week one volunteer was in the computer lab with kindergartners and one was leading a small first grade group discussing the word 'argue.'. What happened to playing house?!
At the other end of the economic spectrum is the Mickey Mouse Head Start Program, whose shabby, white, clapboard building was supposed to give way to a new facility several years ago, but that switch never materialized. Last week's volunteers worked inside the building on Tuesday morning, then came back with a work party Thursday afternoon and cleaned 27 bags of leaves and debris from the roof and play yard, along with several health hazards. It is good to work with wonderful people and to all be busy in Baldwin.
This morning, before the rain, I jumped rope on one end of the basketball court while boys shot hoops on the other end. Then I walked past La Jolie Dame and the convenience store/gas station where the Middle Eastern cashier named (I think) Dahmir calls me Kah-reenie when I come in for two cans of Coke for a dollar. I was on my way to mail postcards at the little Baldwin post office, just a couple doors down from old Baldwin Elementary School, which is deserted, even though the sign on the school fence still clearly states: Be Drug Free.
Baldwin and five other elementary schools closed about four years ago when the local Chitimacha Tribe of Native Americans donated a large parcel of land, purchased with profits from their casino, for a new elementary school. Raintree Elementary sits on open land, at least a half-mile away from any other structures. It is simply, but beautifully designed, and as it's taken in the students from six schools, it's big, with wide halls and bright, functional, updated classrooms. The class size runs 20-25 students and there are at least five classes of each grade, K-6. There are aides and curriculum facilitators and even physical education coaches. The office is run by Pam, administrative assistant, and Penny, competent, compassionate and, I'm sure, underpaid secretary and it functions with amazing precision. When UMCOR Sager Brown volunteers arrive Thursday morning, they are placed in classrooms where they were chosen at Wednesday afternoon's staff meeting. Usually, volunteers tutor students one-on-one in reading and math, but last week one volunteer was in the computer lab with kindergartners and one was leading a small first grade group discussing the word 'argue.'. What happened to playing house?!
At the other end of the economic spectrum is the Mickey Mouse Head Start Program, whose shabby, white, clapboard building was supposed to give way to a new facility several years ago, but that switch never materialized. Last week's volunteers worked inside the building on Tuesday morning, then came back with a work party Thursday afternoon and cleaned 27 bags of leaves and debris from the roof and play yard, along with several health hazards. It is good to work with wonderful people and to all be busy in Baldwin.
Monday, January 30, 2012
FYI (For Your Interest)
Last week, my boss in Outreach, Jo, preached in Houma (45 miles east of Baldwin, about halfway between Baldwin and New Orleans) for UMW (United Methodist Women) Sunday. She gave a wonderful sermon on "Passing the Baton" and what an intricate maneuver that is in a relay race and how important it is for women to pass their faith on from generation to generation. After the service at Bayou Blue UMC and the requisite potluck, we journeyed to Vacherie, somewhere close to Thibodeaux, to tour a plantation. Vacherie has a tiny UMC about the size of a tract house living room which holds services the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 4-5 pm. It is away from everything and cannot possibly hold more than twenty people. I guess that's enough. We chose to tour Oak Alley Plantation in little Vacherie, butted up against the mighty Mississippi River and fronted by two columns of 300-year old live oak trees framing the huge Big House like a canopy. Stunning! I kept expecting to bump into Rhett Butler.
Glenn Druilhet (pronounced Drew-Yet') is a gracious, aristocratic-looking African American woman who is the Director of Depot Operations at USB. Her husband went to school here along with the rest of his large family in the 1960s and 70s. He said the Methodist deaconesses (Home Missionaries) were so strict that when the Sager Brown students graduated eighth grade and fed into the high school district in Franklin, it took awhile for the rest of the kids to catch up academically.
Sunday at Trinity UMC across the street, the church drummer was resplendent in fire engine red: red shirt, red pants, red boots and red hat. Quite the sight--and sound!
Glenn Druilhet (pronounced Drew-Yet') is a gracious, aristocratic-looking African American woman who is the Director of Depot Operations at USB. Her husband went to school here along with the rest of his large family in the 1960s and 70s. He said the Methodist deaconesses (Home Missionaries) were so strict that when the Sager Brown students graduated eighth grade and fed into the high school district in Franklin, it took awhile for the rest of the kids to catch up academically.
Sunday at Trinity UMC across the street, the church drummer was resplendent in fire engine red: red shirt, red pants, red boots and red hat. Quite the sight--and sound!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Mickey Mouse Head Start
The Head Start program in Franklin next door is called Peter Pan. Mickey Mouse Head Start in Baldwin is on the other side of the tracks. Literally. The last time I picked up a group of volunteers, we had to wait twenty minutes for a freight train so we could return to Sager Brown.
Upon opening the door of an aged, white, clapboard building with Mickey Mouse Head Start Program labeled across the lower half in small, neat letters, one is greeted by a tidy, spacious, bright interior, a large desk, and a neat row of connected small tables and chairs. The desk is often manned by Miss Louise, Director. (In these parts, the title 'Miss' is a term of deference used for an older woman. I liked it better before I knew that.). The tables and chairs are where the children have snacks and a hot lunch. This large entry room and the kitchen separate two classrooms and sets of restrooms which hold twenty students each, consisting of three to five-year olds, mainly African American with a couple Latino children in each class. There are two African American teachers for each class. Miss Louise knows every child and each teacher--well. The teachers know their flocks, too. Each team of teachers consists of a head teacher and an aide, who does the majority of the discipline and carefully supervises bathroom breaks and field trip procedures. Field trips consist mainly of bi-monthly trips to the local library, where Miss Yvette (a library employee) reads a couple theme books (zoo, parade, helping mommy at home), facilitates a couple action songs and a related art project and gets a bunch of hugs for her efforts. Back in the classroom, children spend a lot of time on social skills, basic hygiene, and building a foundation for a successful kindergarten experience. Each day one student gets to be the leader, reviewing days of the week, months of the year, shapes, colors, the five senses and the weather. When the children are prompt with the correct response, they get to, "Kiss your brain!" Even the youngest three-year old knows how to pucker-up on the tips of the fingers of one hand, then tap the side of her head. There are interest centers (musical instruments, blocks, books, science, math and computers) where the children play and learn simultaneously. The program goes from 9am-2pm, Monday-Friday, includes nap time, and even the volunteers get hugs from the cutest little ones in the community before we go.
Upon opening the door of an aged, white, clapboard building with Mickey Mouse Head Start Program labeled across the lower half in small, neat letters, one is greeted by a tidy, spacious, bright interior, a large desk, and a neat row of connected small tables and chairs. The desk is often manned by Miss Louise, Director. (In these parts, the title 'Miss' is a term of deference used for an older woman. I liked it better before I knew that.). The tables and chairs are where the children have snacks and a hot lunch. This large entry room and the kitchen separate two classrooms and sets of restrooms which hold twenty students each, consisting of three to five-year olds, mainly African American with a couple Latino children in each class. There are two African American teachers for each class. Miss Louise knows every child and each teacher--well. The teachers know their flocks, too. Each team of teachers consists of a head teacher and an aide, who does the majority of the discipline and carefully supervises bathroom breaks and field trip procedures. Field trips consist mainly of bi-monthly trips to the local library, where Miss Yvette (a library employee) reads a couple theme books (zoo, parade, helping mommy at home), facilitates a couple action songs and a related art project and gets a bunch of hugs for her efforts. Back in the classroom, children spend a lot of time on social skills, basic hygiene, and building a foundation for a successful kindergarten experience. Each day one student gets to be the leader, reviewing days of the week, months of the year, shapes, colors, the five senses and the weather. When the children are prompt with the correct response, they get to, "Kiss your brain!" Even the youngest three-year old knows how to pucker-up on the tips of the fingers of one hand, then tap the side of her head. There are interest centers (musical instruments, blocks, books, science, math and computers) where the children play and learn simultaneously. The program goes from 9am-2pm, Monday-Friday, includes nap time, and even the volunteers get hugs from the cutest little ones in the community before we go.
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