Take the next long weekend or school vacation to fly down to the Gulf Coast and help rebuild with your own two hands.

Get Together
Ask some friends or family members to join your effort to volunteer on the Gulf Coast. Four hands are better than two, and six are even better than four…and, okay you get it.

Where to?
There are many areas along the coast that still need your help. Start your search by going to www.volunteermatch.org and searching for opportunities in a certain city/town that was affected by Katrina.

You can also choose a specific charity to volunteer for:

Getting There

Though it’s a huge help to others when you volunteer, getting there can drain your pockets. Some programs offer free room and board, but you have to pay your own way there. Other programs can’t afford to pay for your accommodations, either.

You can try to lessen your traveling costs by asking local businesses or family friends to sponsor your trip. Or design a pledge system, ie) for every ten dollars someone donates, you agree to do one hour of work to help rebuild the Gulf Coast. Click here for more ideas on fundraising

Remember it
Don’t forget to bring a camera and a notebook. This way, you can snap some photos to show friends and keep a journal of your daily experiences. Later on, you might want to post or publish your photos and/or journal entries. Start here: People/Projects

Pen Pals
Meet someone different while you are away and continue to talk to him/her about other volunteer opps that might pop up around the country. It’s always good to know different people from different parts of the US (even if it’s only so you can crash on their couch when checking out their local universities).

Future
Let this experience be the one that pushes you to volunteer more often in your local community. Volunteers are always needed and you can choose to pursue what you’re interested in.