Beginning in middle school, every student in my school district was required to play an instrument or sing in the choir. Because I had no confidence in my singing, which my elementary school music teacher confirmed, I chose to be in band. We went one night before school started to pick out the instrument I would play. I was set on clarinet, but the metal curls and flares of the french horn caught my mother's eye. It's so pretty, she said, not noticing the massive, awkward black case behind her. Try that one, she said, not thinking about how a sixth grader was going to carry such a case on a school bus everyday.

The teacher sat me down on the cafeteria bench with my back to the lunch table and put the small metal bell to my mouth. Push your lips together and blow, he said. I did, and out came a buzz. Good he said, though I didn't think it sounded like much. He attached the mouthpiece to the horn and told me to repeat what I'd done before. Out came a clear, round sound, and thus my career as a brass player began.

In the beginning we hacked away at the popular music of the day - Wind Beneath My Wings, and the like. In high school we got our feet in on the action and began to march and play more complicated music – Peter Gunn and Eye of the Tiger in the stands, Carmina Burana and Louisiana Jazz on the field.

It was 10th grade when Dvorjak and I were introduced. We played selections from The Planets – one a violent drum pieces, in anothers the piccolos soared. But the opener that year is the one that I still find myself whistling. In Going Home, the brass run the full field of emotion. Its beginning is melancholy and speaks of loss and the reason for being on the train headed back home. As the song builds the sadness drips away and lightness seeps in. It soars, then, into exuberant joy and hope, thankful for experience, survival, and looking to a new day that may be easier, but is, at the very least, ahead and not lost. The end calms back down and melds them all. It proclaims the full breadth of experience, remembering the sadness, relishing the joy, and embracing the security of home, forevermore.

Going home is what Mary and Joseph could not do on their long journey when their baby was born in a barn. Going home is what the Casserta family could not do for over four years after Katrina. And Going Home was the tune that sprang to my mind's ear when I learned that, with the help of St. Bernard Project and countless church groups, including ours, Tina and Pete Casserta and their family have made it home. On October 16th, they celebrated and were welcomed home. They need search no longer for room in the inn, the Cassertas will be sleeping under their own roof this Christmas, and forevermore.

Praise be to God, the Creator, for St. Bernard Project, and for the church groups that continue to work. Praise be to Jesus, the Redeemer, for our mission team and our church. Praise be to the Holy Spirit, the Sustainer, for Tina, Pete, and their children with whom we celebrate. Praise be to God, three in one, for the Christ Child born amidst melancholy, who soars with hope, forevermore. Hallelujah! Amen.

Peace,



Liz Johnson Blythe

St. Bernard Project - $12,000 Brings a Family Home

Can I designate my funds to a specific family or program?
Yes! You can indicate which program or family you would like to support on the online form or in the memo line of your check.

Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes! The St. Bernard Project is registered 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax-deductible. For more information, please tax to your accountant or tax advisor.

How much does it cost to rebuild a house?
It costs approximately $12,000 to rebuild a house.

What will my donation fund?
$10 donation buys one box of nails (for you and me, it's parking in a downtown parking garage)
$50 donation buys a low flow toilet (for you and me, it's 5 iTunes CDs)
$100 donation buys a kitchen sink (for you and me, it's an iPod Nano)
$250 donation buys front and back doors (for you and me, it's 2 months of lattes)
$500 donation buys siding (for you and me, it's one car payment)
$1,000 donation buys drywall (for you and me, it's one month's rent or "partial rent")

What percentage of St. Bernard Project’s budget goes towards administrative or indirect costs?
The St. Bernard Project runs lean. Less than 5% of our annual budget goes towards administrative or indirect costs.

St. Bernard Parish - Team Picture

(back row: Steve, Jensin, Diane

middle row: Tina, Cecil, Ed, Blake

bottom row: Pete, Liz, Judy, Buddy, Deb, Phil)

St. Bernard Parish Day #6 - You Just Had to Be There.

The heat falling out of the cracked attic door upon Deb, Ed, Phil, and Liz, was oppressive. It made the stifling heat of the rest of the house seem moderate. Ed was dry-walling the second bathroom. Deb was mudding the closet. Liz was mudding the new seams from yesterday afternoon. Phil was making final skims on Monday's seams. The best description of Cecil from today was offered by Diane who said, 'The Dustman Cometh'. He was covered in white mud dust from sanding seams smooth, practically camouflaged against the white walls. Diane was hard at work developing new corner skills. Steve was sheet-rocking the last bare walls and fixing mis-hung pieces. He did a bit of everything today. And Judy was lending a discriminating eye and deft skill to smoothing existing seams. The house was a buzz of activity all morning. We had to do what we could do before we left, and we did.

Before we loaded Buddy in the car for the last time, we took group pictures. Blake, our Chalmette native, recent LSU grad, site supervisor, was handed nearly as many cameras as there were mission team members, but that wouldn't do. He was part of our team, so he came in and Pete took pictures of us along with Tina and Jensin, who were also part of the team, but that wouldn't do because Pete was part of our Team, too. So, a ladder was employed as a tripod and a we finally got pictures of the entire team. We're a filthy bunch, and it's a good thing the picture does not offer scent, but that's our team, a strong, hard-working, committed bunch.

Sitting in the living room at the end of the day, many agreed our mission was accomplished. But what was our mission, another asked? We showed up. We came ready to help. We did our best. Mission Accomplished.

The job is far from done. Tina and Pete will be in their house before Labor Day. Jensin will be back in his room. We learned last night at the Jambalaya dinner, that over 250 families are back in their homes because of St. Bernard Project, which is fantastic. For those families, it means everything. But there are 15,000 families, in St. Bernard Parish, whose names are on a waiting list to get assistance, waiting to get back into their homes.

There is much, much more to do, but we have done our part for now, and so have you. You have supported us. We will share our stories, with excitement, joy, and sorrow, and hopefully you will see, through our eyes, a glimpse of the coast, four years later, and of the people and their stories.

We'll also continue to laugh at our inside jokes. We'll remember Ruby and China Ruby. The Roller Coaster on the draw bridge. The amazing trip to New Orleans. We'll continue to call Cecil 'the One' and Phil 'el Uno', unless we're calling Cecil 'Sessil' and then we'll call Ed 'Eddie'. And we'll always know the truth about our good friend Buddy. You can ask about the jokes, but the reality is, you probably won't get them. In order to get them, you just had to be there.

St. Bernard Parish - Our Friend Buddy

When we arrived, we found Buddy hiding in the shed. Phil drew him out of the shed and we decided to invite him to work with us the next day. He agreed. We weren't sure what kind of worker he would be, since he is pretty short, squat, and sports a flat top. He starts out the day very heavy, but like the rest of us, looses fluids as the day goes by.

Though he was a little empty seeming in the beginning, he proved to be an invaluable member of the team. We found his presence with us to be quite refreshing and indispensable. Even though all he does is sit on the porch all day, we still couldn't get by with out his help.

Though he was quiet and not forth coming with small talk on first acquaintance, once he was in the car he began to positively gush. Around turns, he'd get so excited, he'd fall all over and could hardly contain himself. But we found that if we sat him on a towel and braced him with a seat belt he was rather well behaved.

We've had great fun talking about and laughing at Buddy's antics all week long.