HandsOn New Orleans Volunteers prepare to enter a home damaged by Katrina for a restoration project.

One of the most active nonprofit organizations in helping to revitalize the city of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina has been HandsOn New Orleans.  Begun in March of 2006, volunteers for HandsOn New Orleans have collectively pitched in more than 542,000 hours to a variety of projects.

HandsOn New Orleans takes an approach to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort which goes far beyond simply providing a particular service such as property restoration.  In addition to offering services such as property restoration and construction of new housing in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, HandsOn New Orleans works in active co-operation with community leaders to design projects specially designed to meet that particular communities’ needs with Community Driven Projects as well as Volunteer Leader Training for those who wish to become active in co-coordinating community projects.  Additionally, HandsOn New Orleans offers Youth-Friendly Projects through its Youth Engagement program to empower the youth within a community to take a positive role in their own community’s development and well-being.

There are a variety of ways by which you can become involved with HandsOn New Orleans in their effort to restore New Orleans communities in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.  In addition to a project calendar, the HandsOn Network website includes links to each of the programs—including a Volunteer Housing Program for those who wish to take part in an extended project and become a stronger part of a community of volunteers dedicated to common goals.  HandsOn New Orleans also accepts tax-deductible PayPal donations through their website or by mail, as well as donations of household and office items.