Thief River Falls native Daryl Kiesow is providing help to the people of New Orleans through the United Saints Recovery Project. Kiesow founded United Saints in 2008. He has been helping New Orleans residents since December 2005, when he arrived to repair a church’s roof through Mission from Minnesota.
TRF Native On A Mission In New Orleans
A three-week mission trip has turned into four-and-a-half years for a Thief River Falls native.
“I thought it would be a way to do some good, help some people,” said Daryl Kiesow.
Kiesow left Minnesota in December 2005 to provide help to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans with the volunteer organization Mission from Minnesota. Kiesow, who had been laid off from his roofing job a month earlier, signed up to repair the roof of a church.
After the three weeks had ended, Kiesow returned to Minnesota and then drove his pickup truck back to New Orleans. The 1993 Lincoln High School graduate continued to provide volunteer construction help in New Orleans, this time through Hands on New Orleans. He has since settled permanently in New Orleans. He tries to return to Minnesota every summer to get away from what he called the “beastly heat.”
Kiesow was determined to continue to help the people of New Orleans and continued to provide help even after Hands On New Orleans moved its headquarters. “I didn’t want to leave the folks in the neighborhood that I had served for two years,” said Kiesow, who described himself as a diehard, passionate volunteer.
Once Hands On New Orleans left First Street PW United Methodist Church, Kiesow started his own organization at the same church. “I started the United Saints Recovery Project in the beginning of ’08,” said Kiesow, who wanted to focus on rebuilding homes, not gutting homes to prepare them for rebuilding like Hands on New Orleans does. Kiesow is now one of three staff members employed by the organization.“We recruit volunteers, and we coordinate projects in our local community,” said Kiesow, who partners with Hands On New Orleans for some projects.
United Saints and its volunteers rehabilitate and rebuild the homes of the elderly, disabled and disadvantaged. In order to receive help through United Saints, homeowners need to pay for the building materials. The projects include such things as flooring, roofing, siding, painting, yard work and landscaping. “Really it’s also dependent on the volunteers that come down,” said Kiesow, who noted that carpenters have volunteered their time to install flooring and sheet rock. However, plumbers and electricians usually can’t do electrical or plumbing work for United Saints since they’re from another state and aren’t licensed in Louisiana.Besides that work, the United Saints volunteers have cleaned up communities, completed community arts projects and painted murals.
In the past, Kiesow led the teams of volunteers. “I do a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff now,” he said.
Volunteers pay for the opportunity to help with United Saints. The cost is $10 per person per day to volunteer. If the volunteers are staying in housing provided by United Saints, the cost is $25 per person per day to cover housing, food and administration costs.“They come down and stay with us. We provide meals and coordinate projects. Usually, groups stay for a week,” Kiesow said.
During the month of March, United Saints coordinated the efforts of 413 volunteers. Kiesow said it was the organization’s busiest month. The second week of March was the organization’s busiest week with 146 volunteers serving in the community.
United Saints also recruits long-term volunteers, who serve a month or more. They serve as leaders in the organization. This spring, United Saints had 12 long-term volunteers.
If you would like to volunteer through United Saints, go to www.unitedsaints.org/volunteer.
If you would like to help homeowners served by United Saints, donations may be sent a variety of ways: Through the United Saints’ Web site at www.unitedsaints.org/support-us/donate, or by sending a check or a gift card (for such places as Home Depot or Wal-Mart) to United Saints Recovery Project, 2309 Dryades Street, New Orleans, LA 70113.
Thief River Falls Times & Northern Watch
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