Williamstown Girl Raising Money to Rebuild New Orleans
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Then 10 years old, Brianna — with the help of friends and her parents Deb and Rick — put together a bake sale that raised some $1,300 for the Red Cross' efforts in the devastated Southern city.
That was three years ago. But after watching a special recently on the lawlessness that plagues the city, Brianna realized not a lot has changed in the past few years.
"I can't believe I'm seeing this on the news. I think it's still a horrible situation there. Maybe if people see me doing something, others will think about doing something, too," said Brianna on Tuesday.
.jpg) DOD/USN/Kristopher WilsonNavy Chief Scott Pierce, a search and rescue swimmer, looks out from a SH-60 Seahawk over a flooded New Orleans in 2005.
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It was three years ago this Friday that the Category 3 hurricane hit the Gulf Coast, killing nearly 2,000, causing some $81 billion in damage and displacing tens of thousands of coastal residents. The morning after it struck, the levees designed to hold back the surging waters burst, flooding much of New Orleans, in particular the low-lying, low-income neighborhoods in the Ninth Ward.
According to the most recent Brookings report, the city is recovering but still has some 65,000 blighted buildings and lots. Its infrastructure is strained, its crime rate high, though leveling off. Thousands lived in emergency (and toxic) mobile homes provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Billions in federal help has been targeted for the city but barely half of it has been used.
"It's disgusting that people still have to live that way," said Deb Jones, who was helping her daughter round up donations and raise awareness. In the years since the hurricane struck, the family had looked into helping out in person but were dissuaded by people knowledgable about the conditions in the city.
 Above, Brianna at her 2005 bake sale; below, surrounded by helping friends. |
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But New Orleans has never been far from Brianna's mind. After her last effort, she was presented with a poster of the city by Bill and Julie Pennick, who fled the disaster and settled in Williamstown. "It was very, very cool," said Jones that they would give Brianna one of their few mementoes from their former home.
Lee Manning of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children gave her a DVD cataloging some of the destruction that Brianna plans to play during Saturday's event.
Brianna rounded up her friends from the last benefit (Markell Shea and Cassandra and Blake Sherman are back on board) and began knocking on doors for help and donations a few days ago.
The week's been a whirlwind for the incoming eighth-grader at Mount Greylock Regional High School — she's also been spending a chunk of her time at the school trying out for the volleyball team.
The Hot Dog Ranch is donating hot dogs; the conversation there was overhead by the owner of Greylock Bowl, who's donating time at the alley for the raffle. Local businesses, like The Cottage, have also donated items for the raffle.
Brianna is also accepting donations toward the tag sale. Items should be clean, in good working order and tagged with a price; they can be dropped off at the Jones' home up until Friday evening. So can bake sale or raffle donations.
Cash or check donations are also welcome. Checks should be made out to Northern Berkshire United Way (which will transfer the funds to its fellow chapter in New Orleans) and have "for rebuilding of New Orleans" in the memo section.The event begans at 9 a.m and runs until 3 p.m. For more information, contact Brianna at 413-458-5991.
"I don't think people have forgotten about New Orleans. Other things have been on their minds, like the presidential election and gasoline prices and the war," she said. "I think it's kind of taken a back seat."
She's hoping her latest effort puts the city's plight back in the forefront of their minds.
