RandomKid Reporter Allie, age 18

Reporting from her second trip to Bay St. Louis, MI to help rebuild after Katrina.

Hi, I am your onsite reporter, Allie G. I just returned home from a 5 day mission trip to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi which is along the Gulf Coast. This was my second trip here this year, and it was incredible to see the progress that has been made since my first trip, thanks to a lot of great volunteers! The residents of Bay St. Louis are very, very thankful for the work of the people and, of course, for the RandomKids from all over! Here are some pictures from my trip. I will be writing in with more details and thoughts from my trip soon, so keep checking in!

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More from Allie:

When I found out our vision to go help in Bay St Louis was a reality, I expected to be doing landscape work, helping install appliances, and painting houses. As we flew in to Gulfport/Biloxi MS airport, I knew I was very wrong. You could see a sea of blue, not from the water, but the blue tarps as makeshift roofs. All the trees were dead, or missing, and houses completely demolished. I could not believe that seven months after the hurricane, it looked like it happened yesterday.

    I did anything and everything I was asked to do. This ranged from landscape work, bathroom demolition, cleaning, cleaning & sorting through rubble, helping clear our a hardware store, and preparing the All Girls Catholic School (Our Lady Academy) for reopening. Also, we set up a wishlist for the community at MyRegistry.com where victims of Katrina could put a "bridal registry" online of items they need for their homes, consisting of things as simple as chairs, a stroller, or lamps. I was able to interview people for what they needed for My Registry, which was extremely impacting on me. Many people told me their stories, and it ended with both of us holding hands with tears in our eyes. It was amazing to hear the heroic stories of the people.

     I have been to Bay St Louis twice, and will be returning a third time in December. It may sound funny to be going three times in one year, but I truly cannot stay away. It breaks my heart everytime we fly back home, away from the destruction, to my perfectly stable town. Knowing I will be going back soon is something I am always looking forward to. I am always spreading the word that Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi still need our help. I have learned so much from the people that I have brought back, that the least I can do is be humble, grateful, and resilient in my everyday life; showing others the way I have learned to live my life from my experiences in Bay St Louis. I hope to raise money and hopefully start some type of organization at my new home, Illinois State University. I am bringing my family with me to BSL in December...they have heard me rave and rave about my trips, they can't wait to come and see for themselves!!

       I want to add something important: I know any Random Kid can do this! Maybe a trip isn't in every family's budget, and that's okay. It doesn't matter how much money you raise, a penny is a penny, and it will help someone. You may be only one, but you are ONE. We can't do everything, but everyone can do SOMETHING.

Click Here to read more about what RandomKids just like you are doing all over the nation for hurricane relief!

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