Meet the Youth
Thousands of young people from across the city have worked with Youth Rebuilding since its creation following Hurricane Katrina. We have had students from countless schools both locally and from out-of-town. Currently Youth Rebuilding New Orleans currently has active chapters at Ben Franklin, Mount Carmel, and Archbishop Rummel, and Tulane University through an on-campus group called SAFER .
These chapters meet and volunteer regularly with YRNO and have been an integral part in our volunteer activities. You can learn more about some of our most active volunteers below.
My name is Grace, and I am a sophomore at Ben Franklin High School. I am a founding member of Franklin’s YRNO chapter and have been the Vice President of the Ben Franklin chapter for two years. YRNO has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever taken part in, and I can’t wait to see Project H.O.M.E Work become even more successful. My favorite subjects are English and Spanish. I have been riding and competing horses since I was six and have the daily responsibility of working with my horse Wellington.
Will M.
My name is Will, and I am a sophomore at Benjamin Franklin High School. I first heard about Youth Rebuilding New Orleans last year and decided to co-found (along with Grace B.) a Franklin chapter of the organization. I am currently serving as President of our chapter and periodically help organize groups of Franklin students to go out and work on YRNO’s homes. Since being introduced to Franklin, YRNO has flourished and is currently one of the largest clubs in the school. I can truly say that my participation in YRNO has been one of my favorite parts of my high school career thus far. In addition to YRNO, I am also involved in Franklin’s Debate and Mu Alpha Theata teams, as well as other service organizations, such as the Green Society. I plan on remaining involved in YRNO during the rest of high school and beyond, as we help to rebuild New Orleans one house at a time.
Andrew G.
Andrew, from Metairie, LA is a senior from the class of 2011 at Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie. He is strongly involved with Campus Ministry and other Archdiocesan groups in New Orleans. Andrew’s experience with Katrina hit home when all of his grandparents lost their homes. With that behind him, he has felt the need to get involved with YRNO and has been active since 2010. Andrew enjoys helping with all the little things with YRNO from all different aspects. Andrew will attend Louisiana State University and plans to study psychology as an undergraduate. He also plans to stay active with YRNO becoming more and more involved as the years go on.
Vinh L.
Vinh, Andrew’s strong companion, is a very unique character. He is a senior at Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie. He participates in Campus Ministry and other Archdiocesan groups as well, including: Teen Cross and his CYO at St. Clement of Rome. He sees helping out the community not only as service, but as a way of life. His favorite part of Youth Rebuilding New Orleans is getting up early in the morning and smelling the sawdust fill the air. He says, “It takes dirty work to create something beautiful,” and he takes his work with pride until the job is done, no matter how hard. Vinh works with Mr. Whitman to find houses to buy and fix up. He looks forward to not only community work but any type of work that helps make life a little easier for others. He looks forward to going to college next year and entering society to start his life mission on bettering this world, and he looks forward to instilling others with that same zeal that drives him.
