Volunteering with the kids in New Orleans

Izzie Alley, 11, looked around cautiously as she stepped inside the small New Orleans garage that has been temporarily converted into a studio apartment for the Strauss family.

"Smaller than your bedroom," observed Margie Alley, Izzie's mom. Izzie nodded, taking in the space crammed with three beds, computer, clothes, and fridge. Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, thousands like the middle-class Strausses are still trying to pick up the pieces. The Alleys have come from suburban New York during a sunny spring week to help.

"I love them," said an appreciative Denise Strauss, the mom of a 10-year-old daughter and herself a volunteer. "They get to see the human element in all this." She told the Alleys how they left their home with not much more than the shorts and flip-flops they were wearing and didn't return for more than a year.

"We know from stress, but not this kind of stress," said Izzie's grandmother, Judy Goldsmith, a florist from Manhasset, New York. She was inspired to take her family here after meeting a family who had spent time volunteering in New Orleans as part of a bar mitzvah celebration. Through them, she founded the organization Beacon of Hope Resource Center, one of the few volunteer organizations that can arrange projects suitable for families with young kids.

Houses are in various stages of construction all along the block in the middle-class Lakeview neighborhood where the Strauss family lives, less than a mile from the 17th Street Canal levee break. Some are still boarded up; others are brand new, with flowers planted outside. Fewer than half are occupied. The Strausses hope to be back in their house by June 1 and the Alleys and the Goldsmiths are doing what they can to help, stacking bricks and clearing debris. It's hot and sweaty work, but the Alley kids don't mind. "You feel good doing this," Izzie said.

The situation is more desperate a few miles away in the Lower Ninth Ward, which was completely destroyed. None of us will ever forget those haunting images of people waiting on their roofs for rescue. In this neighborhood, far fewer homes have been rebuilt; concrete slabs and a few steps are all that's left of some. In a front-page story recently, The Times-Picayune reported that the slow progress and little help from city agencies frustrate residents of these storm-damaged areas.

"A lot of people had no insurance," explains Pam Dashiell of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Center. "They are working on their houses as they can and they need all the help they can get. The progress that's being made is because of people coming to help. It's a real person-to-person thing."

There are college kids from around the country working here this week. And this is the area where Brad Pitt is focusing his much publicized—and much appreciated—efforts. (Your kids could donate $5 of their vacation souvenir or birthday money here.)

But even in upscale neighborhoods such as Metairie, where Jeanne Elizardi raised her three kids, progress has been slow. Some million-dollar houses have been gutted and abandoned, she said. "It's just so sad how long it is taking people to get back on their feet," said Elizardi, who has been deeply involved in the volunteer effort.

But there is a lot of good news here, too. Tourism is back—big time. Walk around the French Quarter where the Alleys are staying and you'll see an entirely different New Orleans. Restaurants in the neighborhood are packed. Tourists are everywhere, eating New Orleans' famous beignets (sugar-covered pastries) at Cafe Du Monde, listening to the street musicians in front of Jackson Square, and strolling through Woldenberg Riverfront Park. They're going to the first-rate Audubon Aquarium and Zoo and taking the free ferry to visit Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World, where many of the floats are built. And of course, they're walking down Bourbon Street, shopping (gotta have some Mardi Gras beads), and touring museums.

Visit 24 Nola or the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau to plan your itinerary.

Because there is so much to see and do here (and not to mention eat), New Orleans is a great place to combine a volunteer effort with some sightseeing—as did the Alleys and Goldsmiths. You'll feel good contributing to the economy and the kids might absorb a little history in the process.

"You come away with so much more than you give," promises Ted Goldsmith, a retired businessman who had never done anything like this before on vacation.

"Seeing it on TV isn't the same as experiencing it yourself," added his granddaughter Izzie. "And it's been fun."

For more volunteer opportunities in Louisiana, visit VolunteerLouisiana.gov. Some nonprofits can even arrange housing. Check out the Spirit to Serve program at Marriott and Renaissance hotels, which will give $50 of your room rate to New Orleans Habitat for Humanity. They'll also throw in free breakfast. Rates start at $149. Make sure to tell hotels, restaurants, and attractions you are volunteering. They are very appreciative and may be able to offer a discount, or at least an extra dessert. And make sure you check out special discounts for volunteer travel from CheapTickets.com.