Alabama Gives Day

One Day. One massive opportunity to support Alabama Nonprofits.
Donate. Volunteer.

February 2 was a great day for nonprofits in the state of Alabama.

The Alabama Association of Nonprofits, in partnership with the Alabama Broadcasters Association, and the Razoo Foundation,                                                                                                                         more than 900 participating nonprofits thanks you!                                                                              Because of your generosity on February 2^nd, countless lives and communities will be positively impacted through your investment.

More than $743,000 was raised during Alabama Gives Day, as 8,464 donors made contributions to the first annual day of giving in the state.

Because of the generosity of our donors, the United Saints raised $250 dollars  to be contributed toward our recovery efforts in Alabama!

THANK YOU!

Since Tuesday, January 24, the United Saints have been working in metropolitan Birmingham, responding to the tornado devastation that occurred in the Trussville, Clay and Center Point communities.

Armed with chainsaws, tarps, and equipment, five team members ventured to Birmingham from Tuscaloosa to help in any way that we could.

We were met with open arms and lists of work. Hosted by North Park Baptist Church, the United Saints volunteers have been very busy the last few days, working in Center Point and Clay helping to remove trees, debris and tarping and securing roof, meeting homeowners, helping and feeding families and working with volunteers.

Tuesday, we helped Mr. Vance remove a tree from the rooftop of his mother’s home.  A large tree had fallen onto the home, crashing through the roof.  Mr. Vance’s mother recently celebrated her 100^th birthday at the house, where her family has lived for over 40 years.

After removing the tree from the roof, Mr. Don, Thomas and Chris built a frame for the roof to secure the area and safely attached a tarp onto the home.  The families in these areas are scrambling to remove their belongings and secure their homes, as the weather calls for more rain in the afternoon and evening hours.

Wednesday, our adventure began by helping a family pack up their belongings and remove trash and debris from their home after it was left roofless from the storm. The family, including two younger children, was in the home when the storms hit.

The family says they were in the basement less than a minute before the storms sent trees crashing onto their house and their cars. Thanks to text messaging and the flashlight app for smartphones, this family was able to get downstairs just in time to be safe.

Also on Wednesday, we helped Mr. James and his wife remove trees from their front yard. Mr. James’ wife is in a wheelchair. She had to have one of her legs amputated, related to her battle with diabetes.  One of their favorite things to do is to spend time outside of their home. We met the family while Mr. James was pushing his wife in her wheelchair, helping her to see the damage that surrounded their home and continued all along the street.

Mrs. James has a wheelchair ramp leading to the sidewalk for easy access to the car and front yard, where the family spends a lot of their time.

During the storms, a very large tree fell into their front yard. Barely missing the home, the tree fell directly onto the front yard, blocking the wheelchair ramp and sidewalk pathway. With the help of community volunteers, we began to slowly cut away at the massive tree trunk in their front yard.

As luck would have it, our biggest and best chainsaw quit working! We had to slow things down a bit while we searched for a local small engine repair shop. With the help of some friends, we found a very good shop in Argo, where they fixed our chainsaw in just a few minutes!

Back on the job, the guys were able to clear the path and wheelchair ramp at Mr. James’ house by the end of the day!

We are camping in a Sunday school classroom at North Park Baptist Church, where generosity and hospitality over flow. The church is serving as a disaster shelter for victim and housing facility and operation center for volunteer groups. The lobby is buzzing all day from people calling and stopping by to help, donations are coming in steadily and everyone has a smile on their face!

With ladies working hard in the kitchen, there is food around the clock for victims and volunteers.

Joined by a number of other organizations and groups, we are surrounded by good people and lots of opportunity! As of Thursday, Samaritan’s Purse is taking over the volunteer operations at North Park, and our guys are happy to be doing chainsaw work and tarping work with such a large organization.

We are enjoying the time we get to spend in Birmingham, helping those who are so close to us. The generosity and community response from the recent tornadoes is encouraging and inspiring to us, as we continue to work in New Orleans and Tuscaloosa.

By shopping online through the Louisiana Community Marketplace, you can help support us!

Want to know how you can save time and money on holiday shopping while also supporting nonprofits like us? Shop the Louisiana  Community Marketplace!

http://www.louisianacommunitymarketplace.com/

The United Saints Recovery Project  is encouraging you to shop online and choose United Saints as a beneficiary listed on the Louisiana Community Marketplace home page.

When you do, a portion of the proceeds from your purchase will go directly to the United Saints Recovery Project!  These funds will enhance our ability to continue assisting low income residents in un-served  and underserved communities of New Orleans and Tuscaloosa, in their endeavors to recover and rebuild their properties.

The online marketplace and list of participating vendors (stores, businesses, companies) can be found at http://www.louisianacommunitymarketplace.com/usrp/

PLEASE MAKE A PURCHASE  AND HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

THANK YOU,

United Saints

Hi! My name is Jess Van Ness and I am from Watertown, Massachusetts.

This fall, my boyfriend Nick and I volunteered with United Saints in New Orleans    for two months. While the work could be tough, we had a great experience and  were so thankful to be able to contribute to the ongoing recovery efforts.

Though this was our first visit to New Orleans, neither of us are new to volunteer  projects. Previously I have worked in Ecuador, Indonesia, the U.S., and Japan and  Nick and I met while volunteering in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

What set this apart from other experiences was the high caliber of the staff and  volunteers at United Saints. Work in the field was supervised by professionals and  conducted with a level of perfectionism that is rarely seen in volunteer projects.    Everyone is working toward the same goal of providing beneficiaries with the best  work possible and the final products are something to be proud of.

The work that United Saints is doing has helped homeowners keep their land and  move back home in situations where they may otherwise have been permanently  displaced. Being part of that process is an unimaginably good feeling that you can only understand if you get out and volunteer yourself!

Jess Van Ness-2011

Volunteer with the United Saints Recovery Project! Help Rebuild New Orleans and Tuscaloosa!

Who: Groups small and large wishing to make a difference and volunteer during their Spring Break.

We also offer HOUSING ONLY options for volunteers from other organizations who need housing. This is a first come, first served basis.

What: Help rebuild homes in New Orleans and Tuscaloosa. Our focus is assisting the elderly, disabled and economically disadvantaged.

Cost:

• Groups-Flexible Time Frame, $30.00 per person, per night.

Includes: project coordination, housing, and 2 meals Monday-Friday.

• Groups HOUSING ONLY option, flexible time frame, $35.00 per person, per night (New Orleans) or $30.00 per person, per night (Tuscaloosa).

Includes: Housing and some meals. This option is for groups volunteering with other non-profits in New Orleans and Tuscaloosa.

Where:

(New Orleans) We are centrally located in NOLA near the Garden District, right off the St. Charles streetcar line. We are within walking distance of cafes, restaurants, entertainment and only 3 miles from the French Quarter!

(Tuscaloosa) Our Tuscaloosa office is located just blocks away from the campus of the University of Alabama! We are also not far away from “The Strip”, where Tuscaloosa’s nightlife lives.

For volunteer or housing information contact: Volunteer@UnitedSaints.org or VolunteerBama@UnitedSaints.org

The United Saints Recovery Project (USRP) is appealing for your support for much needed financial assistance.

The Louisiana Community Market (LCM) affords us the opportunity to generate finances from your shopping purchases through its website.

You are encouraged to shop Louisiana Community Marketplace and choose USRP as a beneficiary listed on the LCM home page.

A portion of the proceeds from your purchase will go directly to the United Saints Recovery Project.

These funds will enhance our ability to continue assisting low income residents in un-served & underserved communities of New Orleans and Tuscaloosa, in their endeavors to recover and rebuild their properties.
A list of participating vendors (stores, businesses, companies) can be found at:  http://www.louisianacommunitymarketplace.com/usrp/stores.htm

PLEASE MAKE A PURCHASE  AND  HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

THANK YOU.

Staff volunteer Thomas and some St. Paul Church volunteers setting up 25 ft ladders at Mr. Booker's home in order to apply sealant to several windows.

During the week of October 5-9, our long term volunteer staff  was joined by two groups of very caring and benevolent volunteers.

Seventeen volunteers from St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church (Spartanburg, South Carolina) and ten volunteers from Holy Cross Lutheran Church (Libertyville, Illinois) worked in New Orleans, lending many hands to the ongoing community rebuilding projects in Central City.

“We concentrated our collective efforts in doing much needed repairs to   First Street Peck Wesley United Methodist Church, as well as doing exterior  work on the home of our client Lawrence Bouche,” said Sakura Kone’, Outreach Coordinator.
First Street Peck Wesley UMC is also home to and base of operations for the  United Saints Recovery Project’s New Orleans office.

The church has been hosting our volunteers since 2006, when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.

Our client, 70-year-old Mr. Lawrence Bouche, a retired store owner, was  required to show proof of progress on restoring his Katrina damaged property or risk getting daily fines levied against him.

The volunteer groups worked hard to bring the outside of Mr. Bouche’s home up to code. The United Saints are now working to help restore the interior of his home.

12 students from Berry College come to help the United Saints restore Greater Faith and Victory Worship Center in Tuscaloosa. The group serves through the Bonner Scholar Program at Berry College.

The United Saints wants to say thank you to a volunteer group from Georgia’s  Berry College! The Berry volunteer group was in Tuscaloosa October 8-11, working on The Greater Faith and Victory Worship Center.

Greater Faith was devastated by the April 27th tornado, leaving only pieces and rubble of their church home.

Berry College was a wonderful group, after three days of work, they removed two huge dumpsters full of debris! We estimate there was well over 100 yards of tornado debris removed from the Greater Faith and Victory Worship Center in Tuscaloosa. That’s an entire football field!

Stay tuned for more updates on Greater Faith’s progress! Check out the photos below… this group made a huge impact!

The United Saints responded to the April 27 tornado outbreak in Alabama, sending volunteers and workers to the area just days after the winds died down. Volunteers hit the ground running with tools, equipment and hope.

We are happy to say that we have established the second phase of our program dedicated to long-term recovery in the Tuscaloosa area.

Together with our partner Harmony Holiness Church, we have facilities to house more than 30 volunteers. Our goal is to form a partnership among community service organizations in the area to better meet the needs of Tuscaloosa.

We are looking forward to working with the University of Alabama and the surrounding community to complete housing projects, assist in community education and community development endeavors. Our goal is to come together as a community to help the community.

Currently, we have a team of 4 Americorps *VISTA’s working with us in Tuscaloosa who are hard at work trying to build a solid foundation for our new location. We are looking forward to hosting volunteers and helping Tuscaloosa rebuild.

We are in the beginning phase of the Tuscaloosa program, and we need help too! Check out our Wish List to see what you can do to help us, and collectively,we can help Tuscaloosa.

The United Saints Tuscaloosa project was awarded a grant allowing four Americorps members to join our team. (L-R) Bethany Turner, Marie Ostrander, Kamalah Brown and Anna McFall are hard at work preparing for the long-term recovery process in Tuscaloosa.

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Donations can be made through our website, to help us purchase relief and construction supplies and maintain our debris removal equipment, and we are also accepting volunteer applications for adults,  individuals and groups that can donate their time to join us in Tuscaloosa.  Interested parties can contact volunteerbama@unitedsaints.org for more information.

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One of the many residents to be deeply impacted by hurricane Katrina, Ms. Madeline Jones was able to overcome the loss of multiple family members, all personal possessions, and source of income, as well as contractor fraud. The United Saints Recovery Project, due to dedicated volunteers and donations, was able to rescue her home from a growing list of citations and fees levied by the code enforcement department of New Orleans, but we now need your help. Due to the nature of the work that remains to be done on her home, Ms. Jones is again in danger of losing the house she hopes will again be called home by her and her extended family.

United Saints was able to paint and perform cleanup services to the front and sides of her home, as well as add siding panels to the bottom section of the back of her home. She is now in need of donations to cover costs related to the remaining materials needed to finish the project.  It has been estimated that the remaining materials will cost up to $800.

Project Needs

Ms. Jones’ project is in the final stages of completion and needs financial donations totaling $800, siding, and trained/experienced contractors to save her home from the approaching deadline set by the city. If you or anyone you know can help, please click here to donate, or call United Saints Recovery Project at 504-895-2922.

Project Update

We had our court date today for Ms. Madeline’s home and the city has officially thrown out her case and it is no longer considered a blighted property!!

Thank you so much for all those that have helped out with this cause, since we’ve begun this project all the way back in February 2011!

You can see the transformation that it has undergone since then: