Anderson Cooper Meets Volunteers for Hurricane Victims

Dozens of college and university students from around the United States spent an alternative Spring Break volunteering in New Orleans, helping rebuild homes for Katrina-area victims. Partnering with different groups on each campus, students traveled to Louisiana, giving up what could have been a typical week of awesome parties.



Kaity was there with her fellow UA students when CNN's Anderson Cooper broadcast Anderson Cooper 360° as part of his Road to Rescue series. He highlighted the post-Hurricane volunteer efforts while also debating AIG bail-out issues and entitlements with financial pundits and experts. Kaity texted home during the broadcast, and phoned home in-between commercial breaks to share her excitement.

Kaity's Mom and Dad watched the live show together back home, with Mom (me) pointing to the TV screen whenever the camera panned and Kaity waived.

During Kaity's dedicated week of volunteerism (March 15-22), she put her theatre production skills to work building a chicken coop, pouring concrete, caulking decking, and hammering and nailing her way to help folks reclaim their lives. It was a busy, tiring, fact-filled and eye-opening 7 days, with less-than-comfy living conditions, but well worth the trek, as Kaity reports. Kaity would like to volunteer again during next year's spring break.

PEAS and Thank You

Kaity designed pea-themed Thank You cards to sell through CafePress. She's donating her entire store owner mark-up ($5.00 profit per box) to the Frozen Pea Fund in honor of Susan Reynolds. Susan is an avid blogger who revealed on Twitter.com that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. You can follow Susan's posts on her personal blog "Boobs on Ice."

Kaity plans to minor in graphic arts in college and she is starting to build her art portfolio. She'll upload other original designs to her CafePress store, using the proceeds from these other products to help finance a replacement car following the teen's recent car accident, as well as donate funds to other charities.

AIDSWALK Tucson

This morning, Kaity sang the National Anthem at the Opening Ceremony of the AIDSWalk Tucson. Standing on the stage on the University of Arizona mall, you could hear her beautiful voice echo over the loudspeakers at 8:15 a.m. Yes, it was another early morning for this teen vocalist.

Photo Credit: Picture by jcelentano