Trees in Pass Christian...

Today, 8 members of our illustrious group had the chance to offer our help to the citizens of Pass Christian, MS, a town about 40 minutes west of Biloxi. Pass Christian was one of the hardest hit towns as a result of Katrina and Rita. Going down Route 90 which follows the coast, the remnants of numerous antebellum mansions were apparent as well as the few grand homes that have been rebuilt. I asked a citizen today how many people there were in Pass Christian. He said before the storm 5,000 and after only 1-2,000. Many in the upper-middle class neighborhood decided to leave and not come back. The debris and destruction is something that it seems most have gotten used to. Stopping at a unique circular church on the way back from Pass Christian, people were preparing for mass in the church that had no carpeting, plywood instead of windows and numerous other structural issues. Driving daily, citizens and visitors are exposed to and more importantly reminded of the storm that changed their life. In the park in Pass Christian, I walked passed a memorial that named the fallen citizens from the last great storm Camille in 1969. But people came back. And that seems to be the attitude of most. That people will come back. I certainly hope so, as the area is absolutely breathtaking. Waking up every morning to look out on the ocean. Can you beat it. In Pass Christian, we helped citizens to plant upwards of 30 trees along the coast. They are only trees. But I told myself that we were giving life back to a place that needed it more than most.

Tired and inspired,

Daniel P. Killeen '09