Biloxi Part I -- Yankie Stadium

Because I have so many cool pictures and details (and it's past 3AM, oops) about my Spring Break I decided to dedicate a couple of entries to it. First off, as mentioned before, 10 of us UF Habitat-ers went to New Orleans to build for the week and 7 of us to Biloxi, Mississippi. I had never been to Mississippi and didn't know much about the devastation Hurricane Katrina caused there, but the trip was truly eye-opening (more on that later).

The trip was also incredibly fun and uplifting, a lot of credit being due to the folks running the Volunteer Village at Yankie Stadium. After Katrina hit, The Salvation Army converted this old stadium to a place to house volunteers. When you first hear that you're going to be sleeping under the bleachers of some old stadium a few words might cross your mind: "dank"... "dark"... "sketchy" for example. But this place was anything but.

The living quarters were quaint and full of life. I think the whole atmosphere really touched all of us--the spirit of making the best out of whatever you've got, people coming from all over to make a difference: "Bringing Biloxi Back." The UF girls stayed in a place called Ladies Lodge with several other groups/colleges, sharing stall showers and crashing in bunkbeds after long days of work.

Yankie Stadium houses about 200 volunteers and has two separate wings (the UF boys were in the other). We all ate together (there was oh-so-much delicious food!) and hung out together in the common room where there were tv's, ping pong and pool tables, and board games (I had the world's worst letters in Scrabble one night... something like X Q W W K V K at one point).

Basically it felt a little like summer camp, a little like home, and a lot like a freaking good way to spend a Spring Break. At the end of the week we got to "leave our mark" on the walls of the stadium. There were handprints and thoughtful messages all over that we got to admire during meals every day. But of course for us college students, it soon became a competition of "Who can paint the most amazing mascot on the wall" and of course for us Gators, the answer is quite simple...

Lynn (Boston to Santa Barbara) and I also left the Bike & Build mark, so if anyone should ever visit (and you should! It's an amazing place and Biloxi still needs lots of help!) be sure to leave your print too. :-)







And on that note, it is time for bed. Pictures from the build site and Biloxi to come.


Funds raised: $2268
Funds left to raise: $1732
Days til departure: 52