Bring Miracle and Her Family Home to the Lower 9th Ward

By Scout Prime


Miracle's lost home on Dauphine in the Holy Cross District of the Ninth Ward)
Hi Shakers. Melissa has generously invited me to write a guest post. You may know me from First-Draft. Though I am not from New Orleans I have been blogging on the post Katrina recovery in that city the past 2 years. I have visited the city four times now and as I am sure you know, though the people of NOLA are working very hard to come back there is much yet to be done. In a city where nearly everyone struggles daily I am here to share the story of one family that has been hit hard...Twice....and to ask for your help.

Two weeks ago, the Joseph family lost their Lower 9th Ward home for the second time. Kellie Joseph and her 6 children lost their home to Katrina. The rebuilding of their home was nearly complete when it was tragically destroyed by a fire after someone abandoned a stolen car in their backyard and lit it aflame to destroy evidence. The flames engulfed the home.

A group of Tulane medical students who heard of this devastating news decided to help the family rebuild again and started a website called Hope in Grace for what is called Project: Bring Miracle. Recently the students contacted me. The online donation effort has reached a standstill after some initial local media attention. It is their hope to reach a wider audience through the Internet.

Here is where we can help. We as individuals and bloggers can not rebuild the great city of New Orleans but perhaps we can help to rebuild the home of one family that has now fallen through the cracks. The family had invested their Road Home grant of $138,000 to rebuild their home. That is now lost. Unfortunately the maximum they can receive from their insurance to rebuild their home a second time is $12,000. At this point, after donations and insurance, $132,000 is needed to rebuild the Joseph's family home. Donations can be made online to a rebuilding fund specifically restricted for use only in reconstruction.

You can go to the website Hope in Grace to read their story, make a donation or leave a message of hope. But here is just part of their story from the website...

Miracle, her mother Kellie, and six brothers and sisters have all called the historic Holy Cross neighborhood in New Orleans home for nearly ten years. Her mother had worked their way out of the St. Bernard Housing Project that the family had moved into following the loss of her husband in a motor cycle accident, to become a homeowner in this neighborhood. Determined to give her children the best possible options, she kept them out of trouble, in school and church-related activities, and close to home. After the storm, her children were having a hard time integrating into their new schools, and Kellie quickly realized the need to return her family to the place that defined their being, to New Orleans. This unsettling tragedy severely jeopardized this noble hope.

All is not lost, however. A concerned group of family, friends, and public officials are determined not to let this family's self-evident courage and determination to return to their home base to be irreparably devastated, and plea for you to help them realize their dream of bringing Miracle home.

What the Tulane students are doing is wonderful but they need our help. In a city where so many are struggling there is only so much help and hope to go around. We can help one family rebuild and also send a message to our fellow Americans in New Orleans that they are not forgotten and we care. I hope if you are able to make even a small donation that you will take the time to do so. You can also leave a message of hope for the family which is much needed as I am told Kellie's children have been losing hope that they will ever be able to return home.

Thank you for reading and a big thanks to Melissa for allowing me to share this with you.

TO DONATE to Project: Bring Miracle
To read more about the Joseph family's story
To leave a message of hope