Magnolia Project

For three days a group of girls from UC Berkeley have been volunteering with Green Light New Orleans as a part of their University’s Magnolia Project. The Project was started six years ago after Hurricane Katrina. It began as an alternative break program, common among universities, where students go on service trips instead of a more traditional spring break.

However, the Magnolia Project turned into a 10 year commitment to the Gulf Coast region, in coordination with the Cal Corp Public Service Center. This is the 6th year that students have gone on a service trip. One component of the program is a 2 to 3 week service trip during the summer where volunteers work with various organizations in New Orleans, including Green Light New Orleans. Another component is an 8 week internship, during which students work at NGOs around the city. They also offer a semester exchange with the University of New Orleans.

The Magnolia Project combines education, reflection and service. Students take a course on New Orleans and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and are very dedicated to helping the Gulf South region. One student is participating in her 2nd year with the Project and chose to get involved because she wanted to learn more about Katrina and the disaster that followed. On her first trip to New Orleans, she fell in love with the city and knew that she wanted to continue helping the area. Another student has been volunteering with GLNO through the Magnolia project for 3 years. Others expressed similar reasons for participating in the Magnolia Project. They felt that donating money to the region after Katrina was not enough, especially after learning that only a fraction of the proceeds actually went towards helping people affected by the Hurricane. Helping out in person was their way of ensuring that their actions directly aided victims of Katrina and the city itself.

The Magnolia Project has worked with other organization in New Orleans, such as the St. Bernard Project, but feel that their work with Green Light New Orleans has provided them with a unique experience to really get to know the community. They got direct access to members of the community, providing them with what they felt was a crucial personal experience. The Magnolia volunteers feel that GLNO is not just about saving energy and being Eco-friendly but also about building the community.

The Magnolia Project extends throughout the Gulf South Region, with service trips to Abbeville, LA and parts of Mississippi. The students bring their experiences in the Gulf Coast back to the Bay area, applying what they learned about disaster preparedness and relief. In California they focus on earthquake preparedness and how to prepare for a major natural disaster in their own area.