How far would you go to help a stranger? How much would you sacrifice for someone whose world has been destroyed? For 44 University of Dayton students, 860 miles and five days of their lives seemed like a good starting point.

As the first of five BreakOut trips to New Orleans, organized by Campus Ministry's Center for Social Concern, these students spent fall break, Oct. 6-10, working to aid in the continued Hurricane Katrina recovery effort.

Their work was done through Operation Helping Hands, the reconstruction program of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Operation Helping Hands specifically focuses on assisting the poor and elderly who otherwise would have no means of rebuilding their homes or lives.

Working with Catholic Charities allowed the group to work under the direction of John Graziano, a 2005 UD graduate who is now doing a year of service with them.

With Friday and Tuesday dedicated to traveling, the students only had three days to work, but they were determined to do as much as possible in their limited time.

The students were divided into four work crews and were assigned to different homes throughout the city. In each location, the crew was given the task of 'gutting' a house. The gutting process involved removing all the furniture, appliances, decorations, etc., of the home, taking down all the drywall, and removing all the flooring so that only the exterior siding and the internal frame remain.

Many of these homes have not been touched since the flooding of the levees occurred more than a year ago. The furniture and carpeting are often still saturated with flood and rain water, and the homes were breeding grounds for mold and mildew. To protect themselves from these health hazards, everyone was required to wear a mask while working, in addition to work gloves and safety goggles.

It was not uncommon for the work crews to meet their home's owners, some of whom worked alongside them. Neighbors would often drive by shouting words of thanks or stop to offer water. UD students were able to gut three houses almost completely and make progress in others.

However, the experiences within these homes and the surrounding view of their still decrepit neighborhoods made any real sense of accomplishment difficult. First-year student Julia Prior found a great deal of joy in the rebuilding, but expressed disappointment as well.

'After seeing New Orleans, I'm frustrated that more has not been done already,' she said.

The trip wasn't all work and no play, however. Through Marianist contacts in New Orleans, on Saturday the students were able to hear residents of the city tell their own stories of survival. They attended mass Sunday morning at St. Leo the Great, after which they received an immense outpouring of gratitude from the congregation.

'Everyone that we talked to was really appreciative of our efforts,' first-year student Matt Geyman said. 'Complete strangers would come up and thank us.'

Sunday evening also brought a tour of the city during which the students saw first-hand the now infamous Lower Ninth Ward.

'What just over a year ago had been a neighborhood full of people was now an empty field with collapsed homes sporadically located, left as a reminder of what had once been,' senior Ernesto Romo said.

For the students, the BreakOut experience was well worth the sacrifice of a relaxing fall break. Almost all noted that the trip was an eye-opener to the injustice of the current situation of the poor and the amount of work still needed to be done. But it also revealed the unbelievable spirit of hope and gratitude within a people who a little more than a year ago lost everything.

Center for Social Concern graduate assistant Melissa Lees, a leader on the trip, summarized the group's experience.

'The work we did in New Orleans, while may seem small to some, made a difference to the families and that is all that really matters,' she said. 'We, as a group, were able to bring hope, joy and life to a few families whose lives have been in chaos for over a year. What better gift to give to another'?

Those interested in participating in a New Orleans BreakOut should contact Mary Niebler at the Center for Social Concern in Liberty Hall Room 203. She can be reached at x92012 or mary.niebler@notes.udayton.edu.