After traveling to Louisiana during spring break, I not only have a new perspective on life, but on the roles people can play. Driving through the now abandoned ghost-town of New Orleans, I observed an overwhelming amount of boarded windows and blue tarps everywhere. In some of the more affected areas like Lakeview, walls and roofs are missing on house after house on each street. One might guess an atomic bomb was dropped. Huge piles of debris clutter the lawns of what once were nice middle-class houses. There are multiple brown lines where the contaminated water settled that seem to go on forever, only stopping in between each house. The stench of the mold infested city is almost unbearable. After visiting a FEMA Trailer Village where families with virtually nothing live in rows upon rows of trailers, I feel so lucky that I have a place to live and that I belong to a community.

It is unbelievable to think that seven months have passed since the traumatic hurricane because the city looks like Hurricane Katrina hit only days ago. All of these horrific conditions will not be made any better until FEMA, the government, and citizens like you and me grant this issue serious attention. In the words of Pirkei Avot , "We are not obligated to complete the task, but neither are we free to abandon it." ( Pirkei Avot 2:21)

Even though the city still has an incredibly long way to go until it will be restored to normalcy, each and every action of tikkun olam will contribute to the rebuilding. It is so important that every person chooses a helping role, whether it is donating something, visiting to temporarily cheer up one person, or spreading the word that help is needed. Together as one larger community, we need to join together to make a difference, because it can be done if we truly care.