Volunteers from New Orleans, Missouri join in fight to revitalize historic community
Nearly 100 volunteers from New Orleans, St. Charles Parish and Missouri spent a week out in the heat to help beautify St. Rose’s historic Elkinsville neighborhood.
The volunteers repainted 26 houses located on 1st, 2nd and 3rd streets in St. Rose, and also performed landscaping, mowed grass in empty lots and revitalized porches at other homes. The group also helped the area’s elderly residents by picking up and hauling off trash.
Ricardo Smith, president of the Elkinsville Historic Revitalization Group, said his organization’s goal is to rebuild property in the historic area while also rebuilding an emotional connection among those who live there.
He approached Councilman Larry Cochran about his revitalization efforts, and Cochran put him in touch with Pastor Josh Carter of First Baptist Church in St. Rose. The two began to form a crew.
“(First Baptist Church of St. Rose) brought in our own crew of workers, and I found out that South Haven Baptist Church in Springfield, Mo., was looking to go on a mission trip,” Carter said. “I contacted them, and they agreed to come out and help.”
South Haven brought 40 youth volunteers and 10 adults to help with the project. Smith said that each person from South Haven paid $250 for a bus to take them from Missouri to Elkinsville.
“It has been absolutely amazing to watch these kids from Missouri come out and help us, especially considering they paid their own way to come here,” Smith said. “The spirit they have is amazing, and to me, it’s the most revealing thing about what Jesus would want … to take time out of your life to give to someone else.”
Smith was also in contact with the Louisiana Green Corps, which is based in New Orleans. When they heard about the project, Smith said they were eager to lend a hand as well.
“They had a group of 20 that packed in their bus and came to Elkinsville. The fact that some of those kids haven’t been outside of New Orleans but were that eager to help us just says a lot about them,” Smith said. “Watching the kids from Missouri and those from New Orleans work together for the people of Elkinsville was special.”
The group, which also consisted of volunteers from First Baptist Church in St. Rose, got to Elkinsville every morning at 7:30 a.m. and worked until 3 p.m. in the scorching heat. In fact, they worked so hard that most of Elkinsville had been beautified in three days.
“I think one thing the people of Elkinsville noticed was how happy and how helpful all of the volunteers were,” Carter said. “This was an area that needed our help, and everyone was pleased to do so.”
Smith said the Elkinsville community was shocked by the outpouring of support.
“Two weeks before South Haven was scheduled to come down, we brought flyers to each home and asked them what kind of help they needed with a checklist to fill out. Most people were excited about it and some didn’t believe it was possible,” Smith said. “When the people who didn’t ask for help saw what was going on, they changed their minds.”
Smith said that by then it was too late to offer those residents help fixing their homes, but that this project has changed the mindset of the community.
“Now we can tell those people ‘let’s all join together in our own community and help each other fix those problems,’” he said. “Everyone in Elkinsville needs to get involved.”
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