The week before Mardi Gras a group from my church back in Stow, Ohio and a couple of other churches in the area came to New Orleans. And unlike everyone else who was piling into the car at the same time to make the journey south it wasn't to watch parades, catch beads or to enjoy beverages in the streets. They came to work.

They were brought down after hearing about the Westside Mission Center a program run by a saint of a man named Brother Vance. Brother Vance built the center from the ground up after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans three and half years ago. Through the mission thousands have come to help rebuild. There is much more to the story than just this bit I've explained, so if you want to know more click HERE and you can download an article written by a past volunteer.

Brother Vance (center with red suspenders) talks to the volunteers as they circle up for the morning prayer.

Myself and Bettina Hansen were fortunate enough to be able to take a few days and go work in the Ninth Ward with the folks from Ohio. Bettina was was selected for The Advocate photo internship in October and moved to Baton Rouge just as I was leaving for Lafayette. Since then we've been sort of inseparable, but that's a whole other story. We had a great time working with the other volunteers and working together to document the two days in pictures.

You can see some of our work by CLICKING HERE.

Thank you to everyone from Stow, Mantua, and Hiram churches for making Bettina and I feel so welcome. It was a great experience working with you all and I hope everyone can make it back next year.

Vibrant neighborhoods were replaced by empty lots and storm damaged houses after Hurricane Katrina. Three and a half years later not much has changed. It's hard not to feel like a poverty tourist when photographing and exploring the the Lower Ninth but it's also important to keep reminding others and myself what happened to the people who lived there.



More to come... DC