Algonquin church helps New Orleans Good Samaritan
The golden rule -- do onto others as you would have them do unto you -- has been Julie Newman's guiding principle all her life.
For years, the 53-year-old New Orleans resident, who works as a hospital supervisor but is trained as a nurse, spent her free time performing pro bono screenings and health clinics for people who would have otherwise avoided medical attention.
Newman lost almost everything she owned in Hurricane Katrina, escaping the receding waters with the clothes on her back, her jewelry, her car and a camera displaying pre-hurricane images of her house.
The hurricane destroyed her three-bedroom house, leaving only its foundation and mold behind, forcing her to move into what she calls a "FEMA castle" -- that in reality is a trailer.
"It is better than being on the street, sleeping under the bridge like some people have to do," she said. "Way better."
By the grace of God, she says, the tragedy didn't claim her daughter, stepdaughter, six grandchildren, other family members or friends, she said.
Now, all of the goodness Newman put out into the world is coming back to her.
Parishioners and volunteers from St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Algonquin, which "adopted" Newman after she spent time living in the village in the hurricane's aftermath, will spend the week of June 14-21 rehabilitating her house.
"I have no words that come to mind big enough to express my feelings toward them for that," Newman said, through tears. "You can say glad, jubilated, but it doesn't begin to describe any of the feelings."
After the hurricane, Newman and her immediate family relocated to Johnsburg in McHenry County from September 2005 until that November, staying with a friend of her daughter's former supervisor.
Then from November through March 2006, she and her family moved into Camp Algonquin -- which was housing hurricane survivors -- before finally returning to New Orleans.
Although she qualified for a small government grant to help rebuild her house, it wouldn't have covered everything that needed to be done.
"It's like three years has gone by but for me, it's like yesterday," Newman said of the hurricane's lingering effects.
Church leaders read about Newman and her situation in the local newspapers and decided to help her, said Linda Burmeister, who is in charge of the home rebuilding project.
They remained in constant contact with Newman, offering meals and companionship.
In April, they invited the New Orleans woman, who lives on the city's east bank, to share her emotional story with the congregation.
To Newman, the church and its people felt like home.
"It was the most spiritually filled weekend that I had felt since the hurricane occurred," she said. "It felt like I was spiritually connected to my old church group because that was something else I lost with Katrina."
Church members and volunteers are bringing much of what they need with them to New Orleans.
The three vehicles and two trailers they'll be lugging behind them will contain donated clothes, kitchen cabinets, a bathroom vanity and sink, an entertainment center, and a bedroom and living room set.
The crew of roughly 20 people will help promote the New Orleans economy by purchasing other items there, Burmeister said.
"We are looking forward to doing an amazing amount of work so we can get her moved back into her home by the time we leave," she said. "We're really counting on God to do some neat things through his people."
And Newman will greet them with a New Orleans-style meal -- complete with jambalaya, red beans and rice -- that she and her family will prepare especially for their friends.
"I'm grateful for them taking the time out of their lives to share with me and to come down," she said. "That is like an ultimate gift."
How you can help
St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church has all it needs in terms of supplies and furniture, but volunteers could use gas cards and other gift cards to home supply stores such as Home Depot.
To help, call the church at (847) 658-9300.