Opportunity Rocks
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Mon, 01/30/2006 - 14:37
Those of you who have been reading my posts know that I am a big fan of Opportunity Rocks. It is an effort to get college students to work together to end poverty.
Today, I received an email from Senator Edwards, a key force behind Opportunity Rocks, encouraging students to spend their spring break in New Orleans helping with Opportunity Rocks and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity.
I hope a lot of college students participate, and I hope that many of the blog, photoblog, podcast, and vlog about their experiences.
Read the letter from Senator Edwards below the fold.
Dear Friend:
I'm inviting you to join me in New Orleans this spring to help rebuild the Gulf Coast, home by home. This is your chance to be part of not only the largest rebuilding effort in our history, but also of a movement that will change this country. I can't guarantee much, but I can guarantee that if you come with me to the Gulf Coast, lives will be changed: the lives of the citizens of the Gulf Coast.
And your life. Forever.
I am inviting you and students from all over the country to join me in New Orleans from March 15th to 19th. Together, we will be working with the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, repairing and rebuilding homes.
I am pleased to announce that Opportunity Rocks and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity will provide all food, housing, and local transportation. You can live and eat and work with other young people from across the country who believe -- as you do -- that one person can make a difference.
I visited Baton Rouge last week to speak at a service sponsored by the Baton Rouge NAACP to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. While I was there, I was reminded not only of Dr. King's tireless work to lift those less fortunate out of poverty, but also of his belief that the actions of one person can make a difference. This is your chance to be that person.
I am asking you to work tirelessly this spring break for the people of New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast. When I traveled to New Orleans last week, I saw the damage that can occur when a natural disaster teams with governmental neglect to wipe out the lives, the livelihoods, and the homes of our neighbors, particularly our poorest neighbors. Words alone cannot tell the whole story of the devastation I witnessed. It has been five months since Hurricane Katrina; however shattered homes still fill the streets, and it's impossible to ignore the pieces of shattered lives and dreams of New Orleans residents who cannot return home. There is so much that must be done and so much that we can all do.
Volunteers are cleaning up and rebuilding the area but there is more to be done. I believe that together, you and I can join these efforts and undergo a truly life changing experience -- we can gain strength through helping the people of New Orleans.
If you want to change lives, including your own . . .
If you want to meet and work beside young people from across the country who feel the same way . . .
If you want to be part of a movement that will change this country . . .
Dr. King's vision, steeped in his faith and his relentless sense of justice for all Americans, lives on. It took college students to Mississippi and Alabama and Louisiana a generation ago. But it didn't die then -- I saw that same passion in college students all over this country when I traveled to campuses on the Opportunity Rocks College Tour last fall. And I will see it again this March.
You should be a part of this.
I encourage you to join me in building on the legacy of Dr. King. He went where Americans needed him most. In these difficult times for people in the Gulf Coast, no community is more in need than the victims of Hurricane Katrina. You can make a difference this Spring Break. By sacrificing a few days of your time with fellow students and me, you can help rebuild one of America's great cities. It's an experience you will never forget.
I'm excited to see you down there in March.
Your friend,
John
How do we join opportunity rocks?
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 02/09/2006 - 14:26.I've been all over the opportunity rocks website and while I registered, I don't see information on how to help. I would like to go down to the coast and help out for spring break. Where do I begin?
How you can join ...
Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 02/11/2006 - 18:29.Hi, I am Marc Loi, one of the directors of an organization called Students Taking On Poverty here at Old Dominion University in Virginia.
When I first heard about Opportunity Rocks, I wanted to start it on our campus; but they never got back to me, either.
So, we jumped ship to an organization started at Harvard (and now throughout college campuses across America) called Students Taking on Poverty.
We goals are the same as OP. The name is different. We focus on both on and off-campus activities. Although we do a lot of volunteer work, we also focus on legislations and politics ...because we believe to change things more effectively, we must change policies.
Some of the things we are doing here at ODU are: trying to dedicate a specific room to mothers who have infants so they can breastfeed in sanitary, private places, rather than in public bathrooms.
We are also pushing for more contraceptives at the student health center (unwanted pregnancy leads to poverty). We are hoping to help people file taxes, so H&R Block doesn't charge them an arm and a leg.
There are other things we're also involved in ...like going down to New Orleans to help OP with the rebuilding efforts.
If you'd like to join us, contact me at marcmloi@gmail.com and I'll forward you to the appropriate people.
Marc