WPI Habitat for Humanity students to host “Building Dreams for New Orleans” fund-raiser Oct. 5

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Worcester – Wednesday, Oct. 5, WPI's Chapter of Habitat for Humanity will host a “Building Dreams for New Orleans” fund-raiser. The event will feature New Orleans-based celebrity chef and community organizer Mack McClendon.

McClendon will bring authentic Cajun cooking to WPI's campus in an attempt to raise funds for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. In addition to Cajun food, the event, which will be held at WPI's Campus Center Odeum, will feature live jazz music by the WPI Jazz Group. The event is open to the public and tickets cost $25 for adults and $10 for students; they are available by e-mailing [email protected]. All proceeds will go to the Lower 9th Ward Village.

The impetus behind this event came this past January when 40 students from WPI's Chapter of Habitat for Humanity went to support the on-going reconstruction efforts in New Orleans and help build new homes for residents displaced by Katrina. During that trip, the students became aware of and concerned about the lack of sustained progress being made in Katrina's aftermath and wanted to do more to help. To that end, they connected with McClendon, who is founder of the Lower Ninth Ward Village, the only center directly serving the Lower Ninth Ward community, which was the most impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The Lower 9th Ward Village is a community center that serves as a hub where members of the neighborhood can access or create essential resources to empower themselves, be self-sufficient, become whole after Katrina and beyond, and sustain an equitable quality of life.

For more information about the Lower Ninth Ward Village or how you can aid the reconstruction efforts in New Orleans, call Mack McClendon at 1-504-402-4284 or email [email protected]. To find out more or to get more involved with WPI Habitat for Humanity, call Danielle Antonellis at 1-781-264-8014 or e-mail [email protected].

 

 

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