Then and now

Down Biloxi way: We took eight people to the Gulf Coast as part of the Magic City Mission, and we did all right.

I gave you a small taste of life down in Biloxi, but this is a good opportunity to fill in a few more blanks from our weeklong volunteer trip.

What projects did you work on in Biloxi?

Our team did everything from mudding to murals to art class with the kiddies.

I worked on gutting a historic home, one more than a hundred years old. Rather than the usual “smash everything” approach, this job required a bit of destructive finesse. For example, we needed to remove the plaster on the walls, but not take it down to the studs.

This really slows down the work. But it’s hands-on historic preservation, so I’m cool with it.

Mold removal, as usual, was tedious. But it had to be done. Our TL (team leader) worked hard at educating the home owners and the volunteers on proper technique. Too many Katrina victims fell prey to unqualified mold techs, meaning: They paid a lot of money, they rebuilt, the mold returned, they end up on our waiting list, we tear down the newly installed drywall, we remove the mold, they rebuild yet again.

What were the memorable projects?

I painted a mural! Sort of!

The nonprofit group, Boat People SOS, has a branch office in Biloxi where they assist the local Vietnamese community, an especially hard-hit area during the flooding.

Volunteer artists painted a beautiful ocean-themed mural. On the day I helped, I painted over the black outlines which had been partially obscured by more recent layers of paint.

I can trace with a brush, so it wasn’t difficult. Just a fun, low-exertion day.

Another memorable outing took place at an elementary school, where our TL decided to give an art lesson on primary and secondary colors. This involved giving paints and brushes to dozens of kids in the lunchroom after school.

I fled in terror each time those tiny paint-stained paws came near me.

I also worked about 10 hours on that historic house on my last day. That included the wrenching task of demolishing the kitchen: ripping up the floor, taking out the walls and ceiling. All by myself. All very satisfying.

How was it different from the New Orleans trips?

The vibe was different. The Hands On group in Biloxi was winding down for the year, and the shelter was deserted save for us and a returning corporate group.

This made for quiet nights at the shelter, and off-site, too. Biloxi remains not only wrecked by storm damage but also kind of dull.

We did hit the casino, but even that was more obligatory than a wild night out. Unless you count losing 50 bucks in about two hours as “wild.”

And the food?

My absolute favorite thing on the road is going native on the cuisine. Fortunately, the Americorps members knew where to eat.

We went to Le Bakery twice, a small Vietnamese joint with a gorgeous mural on the exterior side wall. The mother and son who run it still live in the back in a FEMA trailer, because their home was wiped out.

Because it is the Gulf Coast, they do po’boys. But you’ve never had ‘em like this: pork, daikon, carrot, cilantro, garlic mayo, just all kinds of good stuff. Plus, some very fine pastries. Not to mention these puffy pork dumplings that sat out on a tray on top of the display case. I swear, I’d buy one, drop it in my backpack, and eat it the next day.

Reminds me of some of the soft dumplings I was raised on.

What’s next?

I thought I was done with mission trips. I’ve been taking a breather from heavy volunteer activity.

Then, I saw yet another New Orleans special (Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations”), got pissed off, contacted close friends and previous missionaries. So, yes, I’m headed to New Orleans for a week in May to work with Hands on New Orleans in its new digs.

It’ll be a smoother go this time. I know all the people involved. I’m not coordinating a supply drive. I said I’m not doing fund-raising, but I think I’m going to have a couple of my friends do some (they don’t know it yet).

And I’m going to eat at Cochon.

I can’t wait.

Haiku flashback

driving highway 90 [Nov. 11]

The coast laps gently
along the broken shoreline,
casino lights burn.

• • •

Archives: November

Special report: Wade on 2007

Artistry all around: Two of Birmingham’s biggest festivals made September a downtown destination. Artwalk had another successful outing, pulling in more than 10,000 visitors over two days. Your 2007 winners are Omni Studio (First Place), Bobby Michelson (Second Place), Royal Miree (Third Place) and Scotty White (Honorable Mention).

The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival closed out the month without the turmoil of the past year (funding issues! staff changes! filmmaker bickering!). The three-day festival featured a new executive director, a better opening night film (“The Ten,” which sent a few audience members scurrying out early), and the usual slate of parties, films and fun. In all, the judges and audience selected 34 winners … 10 more than the Oscars.

Photographer Larry O. Gay shares his snapshots from Artwalk …

What is it good for? As “The War,” Ken Burns’ monster documentary for PBS, rolled across sets from coast to coast, Alabama Public Television put together its own salute to World War II vets. “WWII: Alabama Remembers” featured interviews with those who fought and those who stayed behind. Don’t fret, it should air again next Memorial Day weekend and Veterans’ Day weekend. But if you can’t wait that long, check out the show’s online video archive, with more first-hand accounts from our fighting men.

Back to the coast: September kicked off the second volunteer trip to Biloxi and New Orleans, asking for Birmingham residents to come on the Magic City Mission. Yes, we’ll put our final updates up soon. We promise.

Mock the vote: We’d be remiss if we didn’t revisit our tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Birmingham News’ Readers’ Choice Awards, which yielded a sadly appropriate list of winners. Condi Rice and Taylor Hicks, indeed.

Haiku flashback

if only to remember [Sept. 11]

Thousands murdered, and
bin Laden roams free. Where are
our priorities?

• • •

Archives: September

Special report: Wade on 2007

Eight volunteers from Birmingham are working this week
to rebuild Biloxi and New Orleans.

We made it to the Gulf Coast, and we couldn’t have done it without you.

I’m spending the week in Biloxi with two more Birmingham residents. Our other team of five is staying in New Orleans. The eight of us are volunteering this week as part of the Magic City Mission, a partnership with nonprofit volunteer agency Hands on Birmingham.

Thanks to your generosity, we raised $1,390, which paid for our transportation costs as well as food and shelter at Camp Hope in New Orleans and Hands on Gulf Coast in Biloxi. But it also provided hundreds of dollars for both agencies plus St. Bernard Project in New Orleans, money to use at their discretion.

We’d also like to thank Curtis Palmer and TechBirmingham for donating three laptops to these agencies. And thanks also to Birmingham-Southern College for providing our parking.

So let me tell you about the trip so far …

Sunday morning, our two teams arrived on campus, loaded our cars and headed to breakfast down at Cracker Barrel in Bessemer.

After that, two cars (with Celia, John and me) headed to Biloxi while the other two cars sped off to New Orleans (look for their updates later). We arrived at Beauvoir United Methodist Church in West Biloxi early in the afternoon.

The setup for Hands on Gulf Coast is not unlike that of its sister affiliate in New Orleans. The church provides space for volunteers, including kitchen, dining area, bunks, outdoor showers, tool storage, wi-fi and even the occasional down-on-his-luck dog.

A Sunday is a quiet time during the program, but our arrival day was particularly subdued with only one other volunteer here. The rest, Americorps members, will leave Nov. 18, disbanding after their service contracts expire.

The program is in transition, and like New Orleans’ agency, will transform into a long-term community-based effort.

But for now, it’s just us and a late-arriving team from Autodesk (the makers of AutoCAD and other drafting software). Talk about heroic effort: Autodesk has sent teams here six times since October 2006. I met Julie earlier today, who went all six times.

Naturally, I insisted we visit the Pub (full name: The Pub Lounge), the bar barely a block from base camp, for a nightcap. Pool tables, country on the jukebox, and even the old drunk codger slapping us on the back — a basic joint that the volunteers favor.

Steve, who’s been volunteering with Hands on Gulf Coast for six months, and Kendall, with Americorps, wander in, and not for the first time that day. Flush with cash from two lucky spins at the slots, Steve offers up a free round.

But before John and I can take up his offer, another gentleman at the bar buys all of us a round. No reason, except other than maybe karma or something.

Meanwhile, Steve and I “argue” over country vs. hip-hop, and new country vs. old country. It’s past bedtime, but I’m glad to be enjoying my return trip to this coastal town after many years.

• • •

After breakfast this morning, Steve informs me that our drink sponsor continued to buy round after round after John and I had left for the night. Figures.

Our group is shoehorned into a construction project at the last minute. Brian, better known as Doobs to the workers, drives us under I -110 over to East Biloxi, land of casinos and our build for the day. He tells us that 80 percent of the Hands On work takes place in East Biloxi.

While the city has spared no expense in rebuilding the casinos and beaches (which, as we saw from the car, look horrific beneath the bulldozers scurrying along), he says the residents have been ignored. But he’s proud of the work they’re doing, rebuilding homes so people can stay put.

The work I did in New Orleans in April and last November was gutting and mold removal. Today, I experienced the opposite: mudding drywall. I’m further along in the process than ever before. Who knows if any of those houses I gutted will ever be restored to habitable condition?

But I know that me learning how to apply a second coat of joint compound properly — then speeding through it by afternoon despite a cramping hand — will eventually lead to a home sweet home.

And so, listening to the traditional blaring site radio (today’s offerings: classic rock and campaign commercials), I stood in a narrow closet with a light stand painstakingly applying coat after coat, ceiling to floor in each corner. By day’s end, my name really was mud.

Magic City Mission: Make it your mission to help the Gulf Coast.

Also:

• More photos from this week
• The Hands on Gulf Coast blog
• An Oregon volunteer shares her experience last week in Biloxi and New Orleans
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
  • Part 3
  • Part 4

For those just joining us, a team of 11 Birmingham residents will be traveling to Biloxi and New Orleans for a weeklong volunteer trip in November as part of the Magic City Mission. So far, we’ve raised $950 (half of our goal) and received a fair amount of supplies and gift cards.

We’re especially grateful to Southern Progress Corporation, which generously donated $500 to sponsor the trip.

All of it, cash and goods, will go directly to the nonprofit agencies along the Gulf Coast:

• Camp Hope (New Orleans)
• Hands on Gulf Coast (Biloxi)
• St. Bernard Project (New Orleans)

The Wish List is bulging with new needs, including toys and tools for Biloxi. You might have the item we need just lying around your house.

How can you help? Help us donate cash or send supplies before Thursday, Nov. 1!

If you have questions, let me know.

Magic City Mission: Make it your mission to help the Gulf Coast.

We’re just about ready to go.

A dozen volunteers will drive to the Gulf Coast for the next Magic City Mission to help rebuild. These are your friends and neighbors working with Hands on Birmingham to let folks in Biloxi and New Orleans know they haven’t been forgotten.

But we still need your help.

We’re going to raise $2,000 in the next two weeks to go to our partner agencies: Hands on Gulf Coast (Biloxi), St. Bernard Project and Camp Hope (both in New Orleans). Your tax-deductible gifts will help pay for our food, shelter and other program costs during our volunteer week Nov. 4-11.

Every additional dollar will go straight to these programs.

Also, we’re loading our trucks, vans and SUVs with needed supplies for the agencies and the residents. You can help by donating tools, Home Depot gift cards, gas cards and more.

You can donate by check or credit card, or drop off supplies today. Here’s how:

• To donate money, see our How to Help page.
• To donate supplies and gift cards, see our Wish List page.

We’ve already raised our first $100 and secured supplies from City Action Partnership, but every donation helps. Donation deadline is Thursday, Nov. 1.

If you have questions, let me know.

Magic City Mission: Make it your mission to help the Gulf Coast.

Last chance! We need more volunteers to make the trip from Birmingham to Biloxi and New Orleans. So far, 16 good citizens have stepped forward for the Magic City Mission, a weeklong volunteer trip in November.

We’re going to have all kinds of fun helping residents rebuild their cities. The weather will be just right, and you’ll be able to say you made a difference.

It’s as easy as can be. Check your schedule, pick your city, and contact me to sign up. No special skills needed — just a willingness to jump in and work hard.

Signup deadline is Friday!

If you have questions, let me know.

Magic City Mission: Make it your mission to help the Gulf Coast.

Spend an hour with us, and you’ll see why you should come to the Gulf Coast with us for the Magic City Mission, a weeklong volunteer trip to Biloxi and New Orleans. Learn more about Hands on Birmingham and the journey we’ll take in November.

Signup deadline is Sept. 28.

If you have questions, let me know.

Magic City Mission: Make it your mission to help the Gulf Coast.

Hands on Gulf Coast rebuilds a house in East Biloxi.

We’re going back to the Gulf Coast. If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to help Katrina-ravaged Biloxi and New Orleans, you’ve found it.

I went with a team from Birmingham for a week in April to help rebuild New Orleans. So rewarding was the journey that we must return.

Fifty Birmingham residents are needed to join the Magic City Mission, a weeklong volunteer trip with Hands on Birmingham. We’ll divide into one team for each city, spending Nov. 4-11 working on projects, eating good food, meeting great people and having too much fun.

If you want more info, we have two easy ways to get it:

1. Visit MagicCityMission.org for all the details.

2. Come to our hourlong informational session: 6 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 18, John’s City Diner, 112 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. [map]. Free refreshments provided. Our thanks to John’s for the location.

We’ve already signed up several volunteers, and spots are going fast. Signup deadline is Sept. 28.

If you have questions, let me know.

Magic City Mission: Make it your mission to help the Gulf Coast.

Also:

• 10 reasons to volunteer on the Gulf Coast
• Hook up with us on Facebook | MySpace