Changing New Orleans One Story at a Time

A lifelong New York volunteer helps build a basketball court, diminishing Katrina's long shadow for some schoolchildren.

By Jonna Jefferis

Photos by Emily Egan, Egan Photography

Since Hurricane Katrina ravaged their community four years ago, New Orleans families have grown accustomed to waiting for things-for new housing, for home repairs, for stores and schools to reopen. Adults mark progress by the restoration of plumbing, a new roof, electricity or window installation. For children, smaller advances begin to re-balance their world. The recent installation of a new basketball court on the playground of Esperanza Charter School was one promising small step toward that goal.

The elementary school, situated three feet below sea level in Orleans Parish, the central part of the city, serves 385 children in grades K-8. The students had been waiting for a basketball court for a long time.

It took two years to rebuild the school following Katrina's damage. Since re-opening in fall 2007, school administrators have focused on more urgent priorities: hiring teachers and acquiring computers, books and other necessities. Then in Jan. 2008, volunteers built a playground at Esperanza. All that was missing was a basketball court.

Esperanza officials were convinced that a basketball court could drive up attendance rates, increasing the likelihood of academic success for those students. This is especially important for the children at Esperanza, as the hurricane created a severe break in their education, putting most students one to two years behind in their grade level.

"A basketball court would help give seventh and eighth graders a reason to look forward to going to school," explained Bill Goslin, a network engineer living in upstate Ballston Lake, NY, who helped spearhead efforts to add a court to the playground.

Bill Goslin (center), Davis Vision’s director of Network Services, takes a break from working on Esperanza Charter School’s basketball court to pose with students.

Basketball Court Scores with Kids

Goslin, director of Network Services for Davis Vision, helped organize a two-day trip to New Orleans this spring. He and several co-workers from Davis Vision's Long Island, NY, headquarters and other locations helped build Esperanza's basketball court and assisted with a free vision screening clinic for the students.

A volunteer tests an Esperanza student’s eyes at the Davis Vision free clinic. Working with HandsOn New Orleans, a volunteer group formed to address the needs of communities impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the team of volunteers gathered on the Esperanza playground. They mixed cement, assembled the basketball ring, backboard and pole, set the pole in concrete, and painted boundary lines and free-throw lanes. Finally, with the help of some eighth-grade students, the group painted the scoreboard and created colorful murals for display around the playground.

After hanging the backboard and rim, Goslin and other volunteers tested out the court by shooting baskets with the students. "When we were finished, the kids all brought thank-you notes to us," he said. "The younger kids also came out to thank us."

School officials are enthusiastic about introducing students to the world of competitive sports through the new basketball court. "This court can be used to start sports programs between local schools," said Goslin. "Security guards have already indicated that neighborhood kids will be jumping the fence for the opportunity to play."

A "Second Home" for Volunteers

Bill Goslin has devoted much of his life to helping those in his community and beyond. He has been a volunteer fireman for the past 30 years, and has also served with his local volunteer ambulance corps and taught first aid. This was Goslin's seventh trip to New Orleans in the past three years. He usually devotes a week of his vacation time, at his own expense, to help rebuild the city. "A couple of us at HandsOn New Orleans call it our second home," he said.

"Although we spent just a few days in New Orleans, our group is part of the continuing effort on the front lines of relief work there," stressed Goslin. "Literally thousands of small groups over the past few years have helped the people of New Orleans rebuild their city."

When a thunderstorm interrupted Goslin's work on the basketball court, he used the time to join other HandsOn New Orleans volunteers in making emergency repairs to an elderly woman's house. "This lady was unable to return to her home because of the condition of her bathroom," Goslin explained. The group took down the moldy wall, then replaced termite-infested studs and flooring.

Goslin finds his volunteer work in New Orleans gratifying. "It was very exciting for me to be down there, very rewarding, because of the people you meet, and the extent of the need there. Some people you can't help, and that's disappointing. On one house, for example, the roof hasn't been repaired in four years, and it will have to be destroyed."

Volunteers from Davis Vision and HandsOn New Orleans help create a basketball court on the Esperanza School playground.

Every House Has a Story

Volunteers paint boundary lines on Esperanza’s new basketball court. Hurricane Katrina, which battered the U.S. Gulf Coast in Aug. 2005, killed more than 1,800 people and caused over $81 billion in damages, according to the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services.

"New Orleans is making great progress, but the devastation is still widespread," Goslin noted. "You can get in your car and drive for 10 miles, from inner city to middle-class neighborhoods, and see the same thing: water lines that mark how much flooding each house took. For some, the water came onto the porch; for others, it reached the top of the door."

In every neighborhood, houses that have been totally rebuilt stand next door to others that remain untouched since the storm. "Each house that was affected by the hurricane has its own story," said Goslin. One might house a family that has just returned from a temporary shelter. Another stands empty because the family does not have the money to rebuild, and can never come back. Many residents occupy their damaged homes while waiting for repairs. Some have been ripped off by dishonest contractors.

"Each time we go to New Orleans, we are helping to rewrite a story, working on a house with a family that needs our help," said Goslin. "The story for many New Orleans homes is a great one, because the volunteers that continue to work in the city give it a happy ending."

House by house, board by board, broken lives are being repaired and stories rewritten. For many children and their families, attending Esperanza Charter School is a positive start to a new story. Goslin believes the success of these children is linked to the long-term recovery of New Orleans.

Jonna Jefferis is a health and marketing writer for Davis Vision with more than 20 years of experience as a business journalist and publications editor.

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Contact Us Please Click Here to contact Davis Vision.	Back to Community Outreach Changing New Orleans One Story at a Time *A lifelong New York volunteer helps build a basketball court, diminishing Katrina's long shadow for some schoolchildren.* By Jonna Jefferis Photos by Emily Egan, Egan Photography Since Hurricane Katrina ravaged their community four years ago, New Orleans families have grown accustomed to waiting for things-for new housing, for home repairs, for stores and schools to reopen. Adults mark progress by the restoration of plumbing, a new roof, electricity or window installation. For children, smaller advances begin to re-balance their world. The recent installation of a new basketball court on the playground of Esperanza Charter School was one promising small step toward that goal. The elementary school, situated three feet below sea level in Orleans Parish, the central part of the city, serves 385 children in grades K-8. The students had been waiting for a basketball court for a long time. It took two years to rebuild the school following Katrina's damage. Since re-opening in fall 2007, school administrators have focused on more urgent priorities: hiring teachers and acquiring computers, books and other necessities. Then in Jan. 2008, volunteers built a playground at Esperanza. All that was missing was a basketball court. Esperanza officials were convinced that a basketball court could drive up attendance rates, increasing the likelihood of academic success for those students. This is especially important for the children at Esperanza, as the hurricane created a severe break in their education, putting most students one to two years behind in their grade level. "A basketball court would help give seventh and eighth graders a reason to look forward to going to school," explained Bill Goslin, a network engineer living in upstate Ballston Lake, NY, who helped spearhead efforts to add a court to the playground. *Basketball Court Scores with Kids* Goslin, director of Network Services for Davis Vision, helped organize a two-day trip to New Orleans this spring. He and several co-workers from Davis Vision's Long Island, NY, headquarters and other locations helped build Esperanza's basketball court and assisted with a free vision screening clinic for the students. Working with HandsOn New Orleans, a volunteer group formed to address the needs of communities impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the team of volunteers gathered on the Esperanza playground. They mixed cement, assembled the basketball ring, backboard and pole, set the pole in concrete, and painted boundary lines and free-throw lanes. Finally, with the help of some eighth-grade students, the group painted the scoreboard and created colorful murals for display around the playground. After hanging the backboard and rim, Goslin and other volunteers tested out the court by shooting baskets with the students. "When we were finished, the kids all brought thank-you notes to us," he said. "The younger kids also came out to thank us." School officials are enthusiastic about introducing students to the world of competitive sports through the new basketball court. "This court can be used to start sports programs between local schools," said Goslin. "Security guards have already indicated that neighborhood kids will be jumping the fence for the opportunity to play." *A "Second Home" for Volunteers* Bill Goslin has devoted much of his life to helping those in his community and beyond. He has been a volunteer fireman for the past 30 years, and has also served with his local volunteer ambulance corps and taught first aid. This was Goslin's seventh trip to New Orleans in the past three years. He usually devotes a week of his vacation time, at his own expense, to help rebuild the city. "A couple of us at HandsOn New Orleans call it our second home," he said. "Although we spent just a few days in New Orleans, our group is part of the continuing effort on the front lines of relief work there," stressed Goslin. "Literally thousands of small groups over the past few years have helped the people of New Orleans rebuild their city." When a thunderstorm interrupted Goslin's work on the basketball court, he used the time to join other HandsOn New Orleans volunteers in making emergency repairs to an elderly woman's house. "This lady was unable to return to her home because of the condition of her bathroom," Goslin explained. The group took down the moldy wall, then replaced termite-infested studs and flooring. Goslin finds his volunteer work in New Orleans gratifying. "It was very exciting for me to be down there, very rewarding, because of the people you meet, and the extent of the need there. Some people you can't help, and that's disappointing. On one house, for example, the roof hasn't been repaired in four years, and it will have to be destroyed." *Every House Has a Story* Hurricane Katrina, which battered the U.S. Gulf Coast in Aug. 2005, killed more than 1,800 people and caused over $81 billion in damages, according to the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services. "New Orleans is making great progress, but the devastation is still widespread," Goslin noted. "You can get in your car and drive for 10 miles, from inner city to middle-class neighborhoods, and see the same thing: water lines that mark how much flooding each house took. For some, the water came onto the porch; for others, it reached the top of the door." In every neighborhood, houses that have been totally rebuilt stand next door to others that remain untouched since the storm. "Each house that was affected by the hurricane has its own story," said Goslin. One might house a family that has just returned from a temporary shelter. Another stands empty because the family does not have the money to rebuild, and can never come back. Many residents occupy their damaged homes while waiting for repairs. Some have been ripped off by dishonest contractors. "Each time we go to New Orleans, we are helping to rewrite a story, working on a house with a family that needs our help," said Goslin. "The story for many New Orleans homes is a great one, because the volunteers that continue to work in the city give it a happy ending." House by house, board by board, broken lives are being repaired and stories rewritten. For many children and their families, attending Esperanza Charter School is a positive start to a new story. Goslin believes the success of these children is linked to the long-term recovery of New Orleans. Jonna Jefferis is a health and marketing writer for Davis Vision with more than 20 years of experience as a business journalist and publications editor.

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Changing New Orleans One Story at a Time