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Marching band to visit New Orleans
posted: November 3, 2005
Scott Smith
Associate News Editor
The response of the Virginia Tech community to the disaster in New Orleans has
been overwhelming and continues with the planning of a trip over Thanksgiving
Break.
Thirty-five members of the Marching Virginians and 19 volunteers from the YMCA
alternate break program will be visiting New Orleans as one of the largest
student groups to help in the relief effort.
“Both organizations are part of Hokies United,” said Sandy Wirt, director of
YMCA student programs. “The idea was brought up at the Hokies United meeting
following the landfall of Hurricane Katrina, and David McKee, director of the
Marching Virginians contacted me with an overwhelming amount of support from the
band members.”
Ivy Gorman and Steven Rawls are the student leaders for the YMCA who are
participating in the trip.
“Our alternative break programs are set up as student programs and done during
Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring breaks,” said Gorman, sophomore civil
engineering major. “During Christmas break, we will have another trip planned to
New Orleans and two female students will be going to Sri Lanka.”
The volunteers are still in need of supplies and will be collecting them until
the day before they leave.
“It was estimated that we will need eight bottles of water per person per day,
which equals to 2,160 bottles for the trip,” said Emily Jones, student leader
for the Marching Virginians. Jones said that Sunday will be the first time that
every volunteer will be able to meet each other in person and is also the time
when a three hour disaster preparedness training session is being hosted by a
group out of Christiansburg.
The type of work will vary throughout the week. Wirt said that it will not be
definite until the week before departure.
“We are basically a demolition clean-up crew helping to move debris and
appliances so that things can be disposed of properly,” said Jones, junior
architecture major. “There has been some talk about nervousness amongst the
group of students, but overall everyone is very excited and maybe the feelings
of apprehension haven’t hit home just yet.”
Sunday will be a time for all of the volunteers to get acclimated to what they
may experience in New Orleans. Gorman said this is also a time when they will be
told only to bring necessities on the trip and leave all luxuries behind.
“There is a total of 22 million tons of waste down there which was estimated at
being able to fill up the Empire State Building 40 times over,” Wirt said.
Jones said the group in New Orleans will be split into three teams of 18 except
on Thanksgiving Day when all volunteers will do a group activity such as helping
out at a soup kitchen.
“We will be staying at Gretna United Methodist Church, which is located on the
west bank of New Orleans across the river from the site of major damage,” Gorman
said. “We ask that all donations be made to the YMCA of the Blacksburg area as
fundraising will be continued by the Marching Virginians.”
All attending volunteers will be transported to Louisiana via an Abbot Bus.
Also, Avis donated a truck to transport all supplies to the area.
“All of this would not have been possible without the help of each involved
organization,” Wirt said.
Departure is scheduled for Nov. 20 at 6 a.m. after breakfast, which is being
served by Famous Anthony’s restaurant off of North Main Street in Blacksburg,
and arrival back into town will be Nov. 25.
“We have had great leadership through all planning which was done and are all
very excited about the experience that will be had down there,” Jones said.
To Contact Us:
YMCA Student Programs
Virginia Tech
312 Squires Student Center
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0546
Phone: 540-231-3734
Fax: 540-231-9625
E-mail: ymcasp.vt.edu
Questions or comments about the website? Email Amber Franklin
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