While some Missouri State students traveled to warm sandy beaches over Spring Break, 103 MSU students and staff opted for a decidedly different experience.  And when that week was over, the lives of these individuals had been changed.  Two of those students were Marketing majors, Alec Lee, a Marketing/Entertainment Management major, and Kira Knickrehm, Marketing/Sales.  Here are some of their thoughts as captured in blog reports they sent back while in New Orleans.

The atmosphere of the surrounding community is a sight that many may only witness in a movie. The streets are lined with debris from houses being gutted and repaired, cars have been abandoned in medians and side roads, and gas generators hum in the distance. I have never seen such destruction and hope in one area in my life. Those two inequalities are a key characteristic to the community and its citizens.

Citizens stopped us during our course of work today to thank us for our dedication and support. Everyone is so appreciative of the efforts of everyone here. The hope and prayers in the air are amazing. Despite all that has transpired over the past nine months, people are still high on hope. It truly is unreal to see an area that is near that of a third world country with almost nothing but hope. After only one day I cannot wait to see what we are in for next.

It truly is a blessing to be here.
-Alec Lee

Kira Knickrehm (in the red sweat shirt) joined 102 other Missouri State University students and staff, cleaning debris in New Orleans.

The experience thus far has been unexplainable. I used to spend alot of time in New Orleans my senior year in high school and freshmen year at SMS. So it was tough coming to the city and seeing it in ruins. The city is basically abandoned…The houses are deserted, with big x's spray painted [an] indication [of] how many people and animals were found dead. This has been a humbling experience to say the least.

 We split off into our groups today, and began on our first house. We arrived to see an enormous ten foot pile of ruined belongings in the front yard. As we walked through the house a horrible smell became inescapable. We all became silent and tears filled our eyes. It was a feeling I can not explain…Through our findings we found our house to be owned by a couple in their 70's. The man was in the Navy, and the woman was a school teacher. As we "gutted" the house, a sense of accomplishment was felt by all. We hope the couple will be able to come back to the house and start over. We left just the frame of the house, and set aside the items we thought could be valuable to them…
-Kira Knickrehm

For more information on the Missouri State students’ work in New Orleans, go to http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060402/NEWS01/604020380/1001/ARCHIVES and http://orig.news-leader.com/blogs/onthescene/2006/03/katrina-recovery-springfield-helpers_20.html 

                    Students sifted through tons of debris hoping to salvage some of the personal belongings of homeowners.