When Raytheon employee Craig Aldridge saw the images of devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina on the people of New Orleans, he knew that he wanted to assist the victims of the disaster. His only problem was how to assist from his home in Bradenton, Fla. Aldridge’s solution? He quickly determined that the way to make the greatest personal impact was to travel from Raytheon’s Network Centric Systems (NCS) group in Largo, Fla., to the center of the affected areas in New Orleans. Once on-site he could roll up his sleeves and “get his hands dirty” in actively joining volunteer relief efforts.

Connecting With Kindred Spirits
After securing time off from his job, Aldridge was free to embark on his journey. As a member of the Southern Baptist church in Bradenton, he was very much familiar with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR), a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to helping victims of natural and manmade disasters. They were, of course, more than happy to have Aldridge’s help. The SBDR assigned Aldridge and 15 other volunteers from his local church to Slidell, La. Their mission was to help prepare meals, rebuild homes and remove debris for those who were left without shelter and homes.

Rebuilding Lives One Home at a Time
On Monday, Oct. 3, 2005, Aldridge and his comrades were dispatched to Lake Ponchartrain, which had been devastated by a 20-foot tidal surge along the shoreline. The crew was assigned to a flooded house a couple miles north of the lake. Wearing respirators to combat the odor and potential health effects of the mildew, mold and rotting food, they proceeded to remove furniture, flooring, sheetrock, appliances, cabinets — everything that was ruined by the water and mud.

This story would repeat itself over the next several days as Aldridge went from home to home clearing out waterlogged debris and comforting stranded homeowners. In addition to recoveries like these, his team also removed any fallen trees in the way, no small task given the number that had snapped and blocked streets in the area. On his final day in Slidell, Aldridge also had the opportunity to interact with more of Katrina’s victims at a nearby Red Cross shelter, where he handed out food, water, supplies — and even stuffed animals for the children.

Valuable Emotional Reward 
When Aldridge finally returned to Florida on Saturday, Oct. 8, he took with him the aches and pains of six vigorous days of labor and recovery. He also took with him much more than that — including learning, understanding, empathy and the emotional reward that comes from directly helping others in need.

If you would like to make a gift to the American Red Cross in support of immediate relief efforts for those impacted by Hurricane Katrina, visit www.redcross.org or use the links provided on this page.

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