Operation Helping Hands:

A Project of Home Restoration utilizing Volunteers

Updated:

February 4, 2013

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Table of Contents
..............................................................................................................................................4 Operation Helping Hands:...................................................................................................4 A Project of Home Restoration utilizing Volunteers...........................................................4 Table of Contents.............................................................................................................5 ....................................................................................................................................5 Executive Summary.....................................................................................................6 Project Vision..............................................................................................................6 Project Goals: Operation Helping Hands....................................................................6 Project Description......................................................................................................7 (Again, because of the large scale devastation, we didnt get to this. Many of the elderly didnt need job training. If they had relatives, chances were they had evacuated to some other location.)..............................................................................8 Key Measurements--....................................................................................................8 Project Phases..............................................................................................................8 Project Model.............................................................................................................10 Identifying the Work..................................................................................................11 Recruiting and Managing the Volunteers..................................................................12 Material Requirements and Supply...........................................................................12 Project Management..................................................................................................13 Roles & Responsibilities............................................................................................13 Communications........................................................................................................16 Resources Required...................................................................................................17 Appendix 1: Map of Louisiana .................................................................................18 Appendix 3: Parish Participation Form.....................................................................21 Parish: ___________________________________________ ................................21 Pastor: ___________________________________________.................................21 Phone: _____________ E-mail: _____________________....................................21 Other Contact: ________________________________________...........................21 Phone: _____________ E-mail: _____________________.................................21 Appendix 4: Accommodation Prospects...................................................................22 Appendix 5: Homeowner Release of Liability........................................................23 Appendix 6: Volunteer Release Form......................................................................24

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Executive Summary
In the devastating wake of Hurricane Katrina, Catholic Charities has an opportunity to provide desperately needed leadership and service to the people of New Orleans. The outcome of this effort, if scaled sufficiently, could add to the future health of the city, and confirm the commitment of the Catholic Church to the welfare of the poor and needy who are at risk. Operation Helping Hands uses the leadership of Catholic Charities of New Orleans to help a significant number of needy homeowners reoccupy their houses through the use of large scale volunteers mobilized from around the country. A small team of 7 people drives a model for neighborhood and home cleanup and restoration that can be scaled across the city. This project team calls on the parish structures in place both to identify the opportunities for service, as well as to mobilize accommodation and hospitality for large groups of volunteers. These volunteers largely come from outside the Archdiocese in the initial stages, but are to be replaced by members of the local communities over time. (This never happened in New Orleans because of the large-scale devastation.) The project depends on corporate partnerships, external funding from governmental and other agencies looking to promote increased housing stock, employment creation, and community development.

Project Vision
Enable a significant number of people to reoccupy their own homes in the area of New Orleans who otherwise would not be able to do so. Create a positive image for the Catholic Church among the general population in New Orleans as a Church that is committed to helping the poor when they needed it most.

Project Goals: Operation Helping Hands

Mobilize and manage a volunteer corps to help the neediest home owners within the Archdiocese of New Orleans to clean up their neighborhoods and restore their homes in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina Strengthen the solidarity of parishes, Catholic Charities agencies and other partnering groups across the Archdiocese Over a 12 month period, gut and clean over 2,172 houses utilizing 26,064 volunteers at a cost of $431 per house. (We gutted 1,925 homes and elderly apartments and rebuilt 215 homes.)

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Project Description
People in the area of the Archdiocese of New Orleans have suffered the loss of as many as 300,000 homes due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. A significant number of these people did not have flood or homeowners insurance to help them in the rebuilding of their homes. Others want to get started on rebuilding but are elderly or infirm. Some do not have the skills or know how to do the job themselves. The implications of long-term loss of housing for these people are: Movement away from New Orleans to another city or state with loss of population in the city and environs Movement of many people from the ranks of the middle class to poverty due to financial loss and stability (stable homeowners to unstable renters) Breakdown of family ties and community structures Weakened economic state for New Orleans

This project attempts to mobilize and manage large numbers of volunteers to help with the neighborhood cleanup and restoration of homes for those who cannot assemble the physical or financial resources to accomplish this on their own. It also includes special cases of rental housing for the neediest (e.g. Church sponsored). Other projects may address the needs of: Rebuilding schools and churches Helping restore general rental properties Building new homes for the needy Providing supplemental assistance to homeowners with insurance coverage and other resources

(We never got around to any of these because trying to get our target group back home was enough of a battle. State programs later came forward to address the rental properties, both small and large complexes. Schools and churches finally got some reimbursement from FEMA; though it took a very long time and wasnt enough! Many , if not all of the Catholic churches and schools were underinsured. ) The context of this effort is that FEMA and some other local church groups have already begun to organize local efforts in this area. However, the Catholic Church has not been visible in the community in these types of support. One way or another, the response of the Catholic Church and its people at this moment will leave a lasting impression on the larger community. As the largest religious institution in the area, it is a marvelous opportunity for the Church to demonstrate the meaning of a preferential option for the poor.

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One of the key follow-on goals of the project is to involve those benefiting from the project in development of their own skills and to strengthen local communities. They should participate in the rebuilding of their neighborhoods and homes for their own dignity and to gain additional skills that will make them more employable. (Again, because of the large scale devastation, we didnt get to this. Many of the elderly didnt need job training. If they had relatives, chances were they had evacuated to some other location.)

Key Measurements- Total number of houses improved: Total amount of materials : Total number of volunteers : Total number of volunteer groups: Total number of meals served: Total number of parishes engaged: from around the country Total budget for 12 months: 2,1401,925 gutted and 215 rebuilt Millions of dollarsdonated and purchased Close to 50,000 Thousands ???? Well over 150a few locally and others Probably close to $2 million

Project Phases
Phase 1One month We started in Nov. 2005 and were fully operational by late December 2005 Pilot projects Focus on general neighborhood cleanup and house cleanup Recruit and train leadership, and develop project model

Phase 2Three months Begin to scale the model by adding more work sites and groups Focus on housing cleanup and mold abatement Phase 3Three to twelve months Fully scale the model Large scale housing cleanup Beginning house restoration activities

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Project Model
Total Project Level Structure The Project Director serves as the center of a team of 6 other coordinators, each of whom has a separate set of responsibilities (see Roles and Responsibilities below).

Work Teams Coordinator

Building Materials Coordinator Project Director

Client Services Manager

Food Coordinator

Housing Coordinator

Volunteer Services Coordinator

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Local Work Site Structure At the local site, the work team (a group of 10-15 people) forms the key link to get the work done, with support from the other resource areas. Each work team is led by a work team leader. On basic cleanup jobs, the work team leader may come from within the group of volunteers. On more complex jobs, the Project Manager may assign a skilled work team leader. Building Materials Work Sites

Work Team 10-15 people

Food

Housing

Identifying the Work

Types of Work Undertaken General cleanup of neighborhoods of trees and other debris General cleanup inside homes (sweeping, mopping, removing carpet, moving furniture, removing drywall, surface cleaning) Mold abatement (heavy duty cleaning, spraying, brushing, drying out) Restoration work (light carpentry, flooring, drywall installation, painting, roofing) (We elected not to cut down trees or do any sort of roofing work because of the liability.) Selection Criteria Owners of homes without adequate flood insurance who want to reoccupy their house. Elderly, disabled families who want to reoccupy their house. Priority of Work over Time Work priority will change over time. Initially the need is to get people on the street with basic clean up using unskilled labor. As time passes, we will require more technical skills of carpentry, roofing as we move to restoration.

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Work Site Selection Process The Client Services Manager works closely with pastors and social ministry teams within the Archdiocese for a proper intake of needs and identification of qualified job sites. (We started off going to deanery meetings all over the Archdiocese to let the priests know what we were doing and to solicit their help. We sent messages to church bulletins and through the Archdioceses Communications office to the Archbishops weekly bulletin to all parishes. The most effective method of all was publicizing our main Hotline number and taking calls. In the beginning, we averaged about 100 calls a day. Many of the local churches were overwhelmed. As we said before, St. Gabriel had the most effective parish-based ministry of getting the homes gutted and then rebuilt. They were also able to offer homeowners $1000 gift cards for building supplies.)

Recruiting and Managing the Volunteers

General Principles Volunteers should not have to travel more than 30 minutes to work sites each day. Volunteers coming from outside the area (for which local housing needs to be provided) should stay for one week or at least a long week end Volunteer groups need to include the sweat equity of those whose homes and churches are being helped, if possible. Homeowners may be in such shock or overwhelmed with other family issues that this is not possible. If they can help, fine, but dont count on it. Large numbers of external volunteers should gradually be replaced by large number of local volunteers as people get back into their homes and neighbors can help neighbors. (Again, this never happened in NOLA.) All volunteer groups should mix their time of service with opportunities for reflection and participation in the local faith communities Supporting the Volunteer Groups Assume that there will be natural peaks in the supply of volunteers (Thanksgiving, Xmas break, Spring breaks). Spring Break was the most hectic of all. Plan accordingly. Assume that most local volunteer efforts will be over weekends. Plan accordingly.

Material Requirements and Supply

Tools Required Brooms and mops Rakes, hoes, shovels, wheel barrows Carpentry tools (hammers, crowbars, mauls, drills, etc.) Fans, dehumidifiers and mold abatement equipmentsuch as hand sprayers and brushes

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Material Supplies Protective gear (masks, white suits) Cleaning supplies Sheet rock Insulation Wood, nails, screws Flooring material Paint Doors, trim Light fixtures Cabinets Windows Supply Strategy Materials are obtained by project staff so that clients do not have to pay for these materials. Warehousing facility for housing of goods, along with appropriate inventory controls is established at a central location. Volunteer work teams who bring their own tools and supplies often leave these donated tools for future work team to use.

Project Management
Initial Staffing Project Director Volunteer Services Coordinator Client Services Manager Project Manager Building Materials Coordinator Food Coordinator Housing Coordinator

Roles & Responsibilities

Project Director Overall responsibility for success of the project Full time position Supervises lead coordinators described below and ensures the smooth functioning of the total project. Works with Catholic Charities management for appropriate funding and resources for the project

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Building Materials Coordinator Responsible for total supply chain and provision of materials and tools, for the work sites to do their work Converts work site schedule into forecasts of materials and tools Manages purchasing/donations process for materials and tools Arranges for warehousing and security of materials and tools along with inventory controls. (We converted a closed church/ school to be our warehouse and office space. It helps with communication if everyone is at the same location.) Arranges for transportation of materials and tools to work sites according to master work schedule Client Services Manager Works with local parishes and community groups to identify qualified homes for volunteer groups to assist Supervised a team of two full-time advocates who worked with Manager in providing help to homeowners. Completes application process and intake forms Coordinates with Project Manager on homeowner communication Searches for gap funding for homeowner Manages calls/provides follow-up to Hotline. (We had volunteers come in and return calls, taking down info so we could mail out a prelim application.) Maintains all records/files of homeowner transactions Follows up to ensure client satisfaction with the work done. Present at final walk through of home.

Food Coordinator Coordinates between Housing coordinator and other partner groups to arrange for meals at the Housing facilities and for main evening meal. (Groups helped themselves to muffins or cold cereal for breakfast, made their own bag lunches, and returned to St. Raymonds for a hot, evening meal. Coordinator needs to keep all the housing facilities stocked with food.) Orders all food and needed supplies. Ensures cleanup after each meal Coordinates meal preparation. (Initially, we had this person helping out in the kitchen of one of our elderly housing complexes and doing actual cooking. Later, as staffing grew, they catered the meals for us and we simply arranged pickup and setup. Finally, we ended up cooking on site, serving from a steam table, with cleanup afterward. We used disposable plates and plastic ware.)

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Housing Coordinator Arranges for accommodations for groups of volunteers during their period of stay in the area Manages provision of: o Dorms/Gyms/Tents or other housing space o Beds/mattresses/cots o Bed linens, towels o Showers and bathroom facilities o Laundry for linens and clothing of volunteer groups o Kitchen and eating facilities Project Manager Develops and manages a plan of phased work for cleanup, mold abatement and restoration of local homes. Develops the work plan for each qualified site. These work plans should be simple and repeatable on a large scale. Develops and implements safety guidelines (e.g. EPA and OSHA rules) for work teams Undertakes advance inspections to confirm qualification of the proposed worksites and obtains necessary waivers of liability Develops a network of trained worksite coordinators at the local/parish level to support the work Manages work schedule with work site coordinator and larger team Recruits, trains and supervises a qualified team of local work team leaders through local parishes and other agencies. Assigns work teams according to the master schedule. Provides the Volunteer Services Coordinator with a forecast of volunteers needed. Works with external agencies and partners to identify best practices and constantly improve methods. Develops reputable list of contractors and sub-contractors for rebuilding phase. Makes sure all their licenses, insurance, etc. is current. Develops/reviews scope of work/estimates for each home to be rebuilt. Maintains good relationship with city inspectors. Supervises project coordinators and crew leaders. Volunteer Services Coordinator Recruits and organizes large numbers of volunteers to help with execution of the project. Prepares proper in-take and maintains database of all appropriate contacts

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Matches the pipeline of work site opportunities with the required number of skilled people Develops appropriate guidelines for selection and vetting of volunteers Provides supplying groups with recognition and certificates when the work is done. Tracks number of volunteers and volunteer hours for reporting.

Work Team Leaders Supervises and leads the volunteer group at each work site and ensures the job is done on time to the satisfaction of the client. (We used AmeriCorps, NCCC, our own volunteer corps, etc. to fill this role. Most were willing to work for at least 6 months to a year for a small stipend {$400 per month}, along with insurance and housing.) Accompanies the volunteers to the site and provides them any basic training in their jobs Manages all site interactions with the home owner, to ensure smooth relations. (Gets support from the work site coordinator to ensure correct expectations). Ensures that all materials and tools delivered to the site as promised. Resolves conflicts on the job and within the team

Communications
Communications are an important component in the success of the project, since: We want to spread the word that Catholic people of God care for their neighbors and those in need. People need to see what they can accomplish when they are empowered Success begets successpeople will want to become involved if they hear that good things are happening Publicity is a low priority initially, but should ramp up with any initial successes. Potential tactics: Maintain a strong link between Operation Helping Hands and Catholic Charities Water bottles and hats for all volunteers (work teams and support teams). We sold Helping Hands T-shirts and sweatshirts. Toward the end, we were only giving out water bottles, to save money. Good to have something identifying as Catholic Charities, since people will start to run scams as a result of the disaster. We got that several times; people contacted elderly homeowners asking for money or to be let into homes. Banners at local work sites and support sites and on vehicles Publicity through the Archdiocesan newspaper and secular press (handled by CCANO Communications Director)

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Resources Required
Phase 11 month Staffing: Recruit and hire team members Materials: Develop initial materials list and Volunteers: 50 Phase 23 months StaffingFull staff MaterialsPurchase materials for 10 teams Obtain vehicles for transportation Volunteers: 1,500 Phase 33 to 12 months Staffing: Seek long-term volunteer staff via Jesuit Volunteer Corp, Americorps, etc. to assist Team Coordinators. Materials: Replenish worn or damaged materials as needed Volunteers: 7,000 Funding The project solicits funding/resources from the following sources: Private foundations Major governmental organizations that are looking to 1) improve the supply of housing, 2) create employment opportunities, 3) enable skills development. Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA may provide partnership grants, skilled project staff, and other assistance Our state provided Road Home grants to homeowners who qualified and later forgivable loans/grants to those victimized by contractor fraud. City of New Orleans also used CDBG money in the form of a grant to non-profits to help rebuild. This was from HUD, just as Road Home grants were.

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Appendix 1: Map of Louisiana

Archdiocese of New Orleans

Civil parishes of the Archdiocese of New Orleans: * Jefferson * St Charles * Orleans * St John the Baptist * Plaquemines * St Tammany * St Bernard * Washington 147317140.doc 5/23/2013 18

Appendix 2: Other Resources

A. Sources of Volunteers 1. Every parish in the Archdiocese of New Orleans 2. Every external parish partnering with a parish in the Archdiocese of New Orleans Contact: Fr. Joe Palermo, (337) 405-9066 3. Knights of Maltawant to offer volunteers for rebuilding. Contact: Ozzy Marcenaro, (713) 501-2040 4. Diaconal Community Contact: Deacon William Ditewig, Director of NADD (billditewig@msn.com) 5. Jesuit Volunteer Corps Contact: Pam Krinock, Executive Director, JVC South (713) 756-5095 6. Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Contact: Richard A. Yanikoski, Ph.D., President and Executive Director (202) 457-0650, ryanikoski@accunet.org 7. Catholic Network of Volunteer Service, promoted through 200 member organizations, building database of contacts listed on www.cnvs.org 8. Campus Ministries at colleges and universities Catholic Campus Ministry Association Contact: Executive Board Chair, Dee Bernhardt, (608) 348-7530, bernhade@uwplatt.edu 9. CRS Volunteer Program2 year stints with 18 months overseas and the last 6 months in a US diocese sharing their experience; work through Tom Constanza 10. Post on electronic bulletin boards VolunteerMatch, SERVEnet, Idealist.org, VolunteerSolutions 11. Work with CC Communications Director Beth Millbank on national press release, especially through Catholic News Service, (202) 541-3250, cns@catholicnews.com; 12. Post on Catholic Charities web site, ccano.org and ask for special mention on www.catholiccharitiesusa.org as well as every Catholic Charities organization across the US 13. Break Away, the Alternative Break Connection Contact: Jake Brewer, (850) 644-3440, jbrewer@alternativebreaks.org 14. Catholic World Missions, high school, college and family mission trips Contact: Rob Duke, 225-341-4536 (in Baton Rouge); 302-521-7572 15. Knights of Columbus Headquarters Contact: Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson (203) 752-4000

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B. Model Programs 1. Rebuilding Together (Christmas in April)large scale housing repairs on 1 weekend per year Contact: Dick Miller, Kansas City, MO 2. Operation Restore Hoperepairs to rental properties with landlord promise to hold rents for 36 months. Got up and running in Baton Rouge in 2 weeks. Contact: Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans 3. Operation Blue Roof Call-in CenterFree repairs for partially damaged roofs Contact: US Army Corps of Engineers 4. Habitat for Humanityplan to build 150 homes in New Orleans in next 9 mos. and 1,000-2000 Habitat houses in Orleans, Jefferson and St Bernard Parishes in following 24 mos. Contact: Jim Pate, local director in New Orleans 5. Global SolidarityCRS programs to enlist US Catholics in aid to victims of Hurricane Mitch in Central America. Contact: Christine Tucker

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Appendix 3: Parish Participation Form

YES! Operation Helping Hand

We can provide the following by Thanksgiving (November 24, 2005):

Worksites for at least 10 people in need

Neighborhoods, yards and homes of those without resources

At least one work team of 10-15 people

Volunteers for at least 1 weekend

Accommodation for at least 1 work team

Housing, bathrooms and laundryshould be in one location per team

Hospitality for at least 1 work team

Meals and transportation

Supplies & tools for at least 1 work team

Cleaning supplies, yard tools, tear-out tools minimum

Parish: Pastor: Phone:

___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ _____________ E-mail: _____________________

Other Contact: ________________________________________ Phone: _____________ E-mail: _____________________

Please return to Catholic Charities of New Orleans, Fax: (225) 343-3187 or e-mail: charlottebourgeois@cox.net Thank you!!

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Appendix 4: Accommodation Prospects

1. Ave Maria Retreat Center 2. Cenacle Retreat Center 3. Dominican Conference Center 4. Hope Haven Center 5. St. Raphael School 6. Loyola University Residence Hall 7. New Orleans Hostel, Marquette House 8. St Clement of Rome Parish 9. St Vincents Guest House (B&B) 10. Tulane University Residence Hall 11. Visitation of Our Lady Parish (We used the dorms at Hope Haven and set up St. Raphaels school building as housing. St. Raphael was only minutes away from our warehouse; Hope Haven was nearly 30-45 minutes away. Hope Haven was partially stocked; we had to completely outfit St. Raphael, even to the point of building a portable shower house.)

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Appendix 5: Homeowner Release of Liability

1HOMEOWNER RELEASE OF LIABILITY Name:__________________________________________________________________ ______ Day Telephone:________________________ Night Telephone:__________________________ Address:________________________________________________________________ ______ I/we , _____________________________________, certify that I/we am/are the owner(s) of the above listed property. I/we give permission to volunteers from to work on my property for the purpose of cleaning and/or removing walls, floors or other structural components and/or repairing my/our home. I/we understand that these are not professionals working for profit, and that no warranty is made as to the quality of work done. In consideration of the volunteer services to be rendered to me/us or on my/our property by the volunteers, I./we, the undersigned, release and agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, any other related entity of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, whether separately incorporated or not, including but not limited to Parishes, and their members, officers, directors, executives, administrators, pastors, clergy, faculty, administrators, employees, representatives, insurers, re-insurers and/or self-insurance administrators, assigns and/or representatives (hereinafter collectively referred to as the Releasees) from any and all claims, liability, damages, injury (including but not limited to physical and/or mental injury and/or death and/or property damage), delay or irregularity related to the aforementioned volunteer services. This release covers all rights and causes of action of every kind, nature and description, which is the undersigned ever had, now has/have and, but for this release, may have. This release binds the undersigned and his/her/their heirs, representatives and assignees. SIGNATURE:___________________________________ PRINTED NAME: SIGNATURE:___________________________________ PRINTED NAME: DATE:_________________ DATE:_________________

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Appendix 6: Volunteer Release Form

RELEASE, HOLD HARMLESS AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT In consideration of my being allowed to participate in the repair and clean-up effort sponsored by , in , Louisiana, I, (hereinafter Releasor) a person of the full age of majority and a resident of the County/Parish of , State of , do hereby acknowledge that: 1) I voluntarily have chosen to travel to the foregoing area to perform cleanup and/or construction efforts in disaster relief at various types of houses and/or buildings (hereinafter volunteer effort; 2) I understand that this volunteer effort entails a risk of physical and/or mental and/or emotional injury and often involves hard physical labor, heavy lifting, and/or other strenuous activity, which activity may include climbing on ladders and building framing other than on ground level; 3) I understand that the volunteer effort may expose me to harmful and/or illnesscausing substances, including but not limited to mold and/or mildew; 4) I am in good health and physically and emotionally able to perform the foregoing volunteer effort. I further understand that I am engaging in this volunteer effort at my own risk and will be exposed to various injury-causing risks, including but not limited to contracting of illnesses and/or incurring physical injuries. I also understand that I am assuming any and all risk of any injury or damages of any type that I may sustain, including but not limited to physical, mental, or financial injuries (e.g., loss of wages). I also understand that I am solely responsible for any and all costs and/or expenses that I may incur arising out of my participation in the volunteer effort, including but not limited to any costs and/or expenses arising out of housing, meals, and/or losses from theft. I also understand that in performing services for the volunteer effort that if I become injured, because of the conditions of the City of New Orleans and its environs I may not have available to me the same level of medical care that I may be accustomed to which may subject me to further, additional risks of physical and/or emotional injury or damage and/or may increase the severity of such injury or damage. I further understand that in the event that I am offered any housing accommodations while participating in the volunteer effort, I will abide by whatever regulations may be in effect for the accommodations at the time. In consideration of my being able to participate in the volunteer effort, which participation I acknowledge has intrinsic value and worth to me, I further agree to release,

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indemnify and hold harmless The Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, any other related entity of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, whether separately incorporated or not, including but not limited to Parishes, and their members, officers, directors, executives, administrators, pastors, clergy, faculty, administrators, employees, representatives, insurers, reinsurers and/or self-insurance administrators, assigns and/or representatives (hereinafter collectively referred to as the Releasees) of and from any and all manner of actions, suits, liens, debts, damages, injuries (including but not limited to claims for bodily injury, mental anguish and/or death), economic damages (including but not limited to loss of wages and loss by theft), claims arising from travel or lodging and any and all other claims and demands whatsoever (hereinafter, collectively, claims), at law or in equity, and arising out of or under any law of the United States, or any of the several states, including but not limited to the laws of the State of Louisiana, including but not limited to the laws of obligations and/or laws of tort and/or delict, arising from my participation in volunteer effort, whether such claims or causes of action arise from my own negligence, strict liability or fault or from the negligence, strict liability or fault of Releasees or any third parties for whom the volunteer effort is performed. Releasor specifically acknowledges that this agreement includes a Release, Hold Harmless and Indemnity in favor of Releasees and third parties for their own negligence, strict liability or fault of any kind or nature whatsoever. I further agree that this Agreement shall be construed in accord with the laws of the State of Louisiana, which shall be the forum for any dispute concerning my participation in the volunteer effort. I further acknowledge and agree that the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall be severable and that if any term or condition shall be held to be illegal, unenforceable or in conflict with the laws of the State of Louisiana, the validity of the remaining portions of the Agreement shall not be affected thereby and shall remain in full force and effect. I further agree that this Agreement supersedes any previous and/or contemporaneous verbal agreements in regard to my participation in the volunteer effort and cannot be changed an/or amended unless in writing. By: Print Name: Date:

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