It’s our last day in New Orleans and as always, all good things must come to an end. From the first day cleaning APEX, to helping beautify Renew SciTech, building a house with Youth Rebuilding New Orleans (YRNO), picking up trash for Bayou Savauge, and last but not least recycling Mardi Gras beads with ARC of Greater New Orleans. Each one that we went to allowed us to understand the culture, various issues and the way of life in New Orleans.
For a person in a military family that was sent across the world, New Orleans is definitely another world. There are all the cool landmarks, restaurants, and parties but also so much more. The people and communities have faced hardships. However there is a light to this story. With each program that we worked with we were able to see how the people are making a difference in spite of everything.
I personally liked recycling Mardi Gras beads. Not only does ARC recycle the beads but they are also able to give jobs to people with disabilities. They are given a place that they can work and are given a sense of purpose and community. This program goes above and beyond by paying them for the hours they work and not based on how much they recycle.
As someone that has a disability I know the hardship that comes with that label. It is hard to throw off or be seen for anything than just the disability. ARC shows that people are still willing to help their fellow neighbor in any way possible.
-Ethan Dunn