Finally a day in NOLA!

It was a bit difficult getting up this morning after the late night last night but we were all up and ready to go at 9am. Our service site today was Project Lazarus in New Orleans, LA. We had an opportunity to get to know a little bit about the program from various staff there. The program opened in the 80s to serve as transitional housing for individuals with HIV. The program currently houses 23 residents and provides support, education, and resources.

Today we assisted with cleaning up a community area. The staff plans to rent the area out regularly to help bring in some funds for the program. Anyone who knows non-profits know how difficult it is to find funding that doesn't come with strings attached. The extra revenue will allow staff to provide for the residents in a way that will benefit them most.

We also had the opportunity too speak with some of the residents as well. It was a strange experience - they thanked us for volunteering and helping them out but all I could think was that we should be thanking them. The experience was an emotional one and I am so appreciative of them for welcoming us with open arms. It's also so refreshing to hear about the program and how much the staff cares about making their program the best it can be. 

After the service project we spent some time sitting down and talking about our personal and group goals for after we return home. My goals were:

1) Set up an LGBTQ resource binder at work.

2) Continue to network with new organizations and volunteer at least once every 6 months.

We then did some Gender 101 and talked about stereotypes for males and females and how no one actually fits into just one category based on those stereotypes. It created an interesting 'constellation' type visual as we drew lines between stereotypes we fit. 

Due to there being no concert tonight, we had the remainder of the night to talk about our goals, get dinner together, and spend some time in this incredible city. It was a perfect end to a perfect day. 

We're making our way to Atlanta now on the bus. I'm exhausted so I expect sleep to come easily. If you're coming out to the show tomorrow night, I'll see you there!