The Good Samaritan's Extra Mile!
Welcome to AllTheWay-Home.com
I realized after two trips to the gulf and doing multiple
projects that we were doing wonderful things, but falling
far short of getting people back into their homes.
Here's our idea:
1 - To create a documentary,
for national media broadcasting, of the process from
“first” site of a home immediately following
the disaster all the way through to “moving back
in.”
2 - Enabling our displaced neighbors in the gulf to
get "All the Way
Home!"
3 - We could show the
before (homes still untouched, with
appliances and furniture all topsy turvy upside down
and scattered throughout abandoned houses) and
the after of successful recoveries.
4 - We could show the
progress as mud-outs are done, dry-wall
is installed, doors are hung, trim is reinstalled, painting
is completed, cabinets are installed in baths and kitchens,
flooring is laid, and then last but not least furniture
and appliances are donated and clothing provided to
get people back on their feet.
5 - Secure corporate
and charitable partnerships to procure:
appliances, furniture, fixtures, clothing, building
materials, man-power to affect the reconstruction, tools,
and various other supplies and materials to create as
it were a complete "All the Way Home" kit.
6 - Involve local personnel
under supervision of skilled volunteers
working in various building trades to give them a sense
of ownership in the process and partnership with us.
7 - Maintain national
media attention as to the progress we
are making in effectively restoring lives to normalcy
and getting people “All The Way-Home.”
Fact: When media attention falls off,
volunteerism falls of comensurately.
Fact: We have only scratched the surface
in helping families in the Gulf Region get back into
their homes: less than 5% have been restored since the
disaster occurred in August of 2005.
Fact: Simply repairing the shell of
each home: walls, windows, doors, and roof is insufficient.
Fact: Most families were not covered
by insurance in that there was no precedent for flooding.
Fact: Most families must keep making
full mortgage payments even though they cannot live
in their ravaged homes and have no means to borrow or
buy what they need to rebuild them.
Fact: Most families lost all of their
appliances.
Fact: Most families lost all of their
furniture.
Fact: Most families lost all of their
clothing.
Fact: Most families lost their cabinetry.
Fact: Most families lost all of their
flooring.
Our view:
We believe: that the definition of "My
Neighbor" is:
“Anyone whose need
I see, whose need I can meet.”
We believe: that we can't
meet these needs on an individual basis.
We believe: that collectively,
in partnership with companies, charities, and churches,
we are "neighbors" to all of the folks devastated
by Katrina and other natural disasters and can get them
“AllTheWay-Home.”
We believe: that the FEMA
trailers have been a great help to those
who have been able to get into them and not been restricted
by "unfortunate" politics, greed, and selfishness
on the part of those who don't want one “next
to them.” BUT even
with the trailers, it is very difficult to have a large
family living in such close quarters
for months and maybe even years.
We believe: that without
a concerted and very generous effort by the rest of
us, there is very little hope that many
of these people will ever be able to scrape together
enough resources to get their homes rebuilt and all
their lost belongings replaced.
We believe: that by keeping these neighbors in the
news we can continue to
recruit large numbers of volunteers
to continue to help get our neighbors in the gulf "All
the Way Home."
Thanks for listening!
We look forward to your help!
Bob Meyst
“Always-There”
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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