KSU students in Mississippi

by Kim Schneider
Sixty-three volunteers from Kent State replaced their beachfront spring break with hammers and nails. The volunteers—students, faculty, and staff—took a 22-hour bus ride to Biloxi, Mississippi to help rebuild the Gulf Coast, which still suffers from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall in August 2005.

This marked the seventh trip for KSU to the region. All together there have been 825 volunteers in the past four years spending their winter and spring breaks to help rebuild the Gulf Coast. KSU has sent the largest group of university volunteers in the state of Ohio.


When the volunteers arrived in Mississippi, they had the opportunity to explore the local beach, where for the first time they caught a glimpse of the devastation left by Katrina. The pier where people once walked was torn apart, with nothing left but wooden pillars. The beachfront property still lay in ruins with some debris scattered along the flat lots.

The volunteers took pictures of what appeared to be nothing but empty swimming pools and a lonely tire swing hanging in the breeze, still fastened on to a sturdy tree limb. This gave the volunteers an opportunity to become acquainted with each other before returning to camp and meeting the camp hosts.

Representatives from Camp Coast Care in Long Beach, Mississippi showed their hospitality toward the KSU group during their week-long stay. The camp shared their food, lodging, inspiration, and comfortable country surroundings.

CCC began its participation in Katrina Aid in September of 2005 as a distribution center and medical facility. Lutheran Episcopal Services of Mississippi operates CCC, which now focuses their attention on rebuilding the Gulf.

In cooperation with CCC, KSU volunteers had the opportunity to work alongside AmeriCorps and Habitat for Humanity volunteers. They learned various skills and absorbed useful knowledge of craftsmanship. Through working together, the volunteers learned as much about the job at hand as they did of each other. This became a harmonious workplace with interaction of everyone involved.

The trip to Mississippi was not all work for the volunteers but also a learning experience. They traveled through previous worksites and listened as annual volunteers talked about their previous experiences in the Gulf. During the tours, some had the privilege of meeting community members who offered stories of Katrina’s wrath.

J.J., a local resident, shared his story with a small group touring Biloxi. He told of how he woke up floating on his mattress and then climbed to a nearby house to save his life. Family members later reported J.J. as dead. He was misplaced by the storm and the system. It took him a long time to regain his identity via DNA testing. He relocated back to Mississippi two years ago. “With the next storm I plan on having my bags packed and out of here before the storm can make landfall,” he said.

Through the stories and tours of the local areas, volunteers were able to see clearly that residents are still trying to rebuild. This added some emotional insight to some of the first-time volunteers, which came through during the reflection meeting held a couple nights before they left to return home.

Throughout the yard of the CCC building are totem poles left by previous volunteers who shared their experience with the camp. The Kent State people left their gift to the camp in their own unique style—a yellow and blue signed bench for future volunteers and other camp guests to rest upon.