Red 1 Has Left Hurricane Camp :(

Well, Tuesday night (16 May) was a sad night for Hands On Gulf Coast because we said good bye to Americorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) team Red 1, aka Emergency Dance Party, the from Charleston, SC. They left Wednesday morning for their transition to a project in the mountains of Tennessee.

When they showed up during Storm Corps week (around the 13th of March), they were quickly trained to lead interior gutting and demolding jobs. They became invaluable, indespensible members of the work force. Equally quickly, their presence became part of the tapestry of personalities that make Hurricane Camp a place that people want to return to.

During their time here, they helped gut and demold houses, hang sheet rock, put on rooves, organize community meetings, work with residents in need of assistance, cook food at the Salvation Army, and help out in countless other ways.

To say good bye, we had a dance party and open mic. Andrew gave a moving speech at our meeting that described how he saw his team develop and rediscover themselves during their time here at Hands On Gulf Coast. Later, at the open mic, the other team members expressed themselves with speeches and songs. Interspersed with the good byes and memories, Guillermo played songs from the mixes he made for each of the Red 1 team members. We danced to tunes and shed tears at the thought of seeing such awesome people move on.

We will miss the team members of Red 1 dearly. Best of luck to Andrew, Joe, Elly, Erica, Anne, Nora, Ali, Mike, and Coryn on your next project.!

:: Chris ::