Jon Skvarka
RTNO Program Manager

They came for numerous reasons,
Some to serve, some to put off the real world
And some to start for the first time again.
Armed with their motivations,
They commit themselves to the city,
Not ready to dive, but willing to jump in.

They learn that the wage
Doesn’t pay for the frustrations
And isn’t enough for the demands.
They learn how to listen.
They learn how to lead
And repair justice with their own hands.

They glaze windows,
Dig holes, run supplies,
Create forms and organize files.
They battle lead and tedium,
Salvage history,
And elicit homeowners’ smiles.

They learn it’s not about them
In Tyvek suits with respirators,
In the sweltering August sun.
Or in listening to
Another survivor’s heartache;
All part of getting things done.

To those who proudly don paint splotches
And those who leave their mark
On processes and systems new.
Rebuilding Together
New Orleans and those
You’ve impacted, simply say, thank you.