---

We've all heard about what Hurricane Katrina did to New Orleans and what hasn't been done since.

NORTON -

Norton's Caitlin Knipper, 20, recently traveled to New Orleans with a team of 11 fellow Fordham University students to see firsthand what still has yet to be done.

The Bishop Feehan grad is enrolled as a junior social work major at Fordham in the Bronx, New York. The daughter of Jim and Cathy Knipper of Norton is involved in the choir and is a tutor at Fordham Bedford Children's Services, an after school program in the Bronx for students in third through sixth grades. Her passion for the French language may take her to France to study in 2009.

SUN CHRONICLE: Tell me about the group you traveled with to New Orleans. CAITLIN KNIPPER: Fordham has an extensive service trip program called Global Outreach (GO!) which organized the trip. They have about 27 different trips that they run throughout the year, both domestic and abroad, to places like India, Romania, South Africa, the Navajo nation, Appalachia, and, of course, New Orleans.

Anyone can apply for the trips, but, because of their popularity, usually people apply for a few before they are accepted. GO! really stresses team building, so our team met all semester leading up to our trip to learn about New Orleans and each other. We also had to do a lot of fundraising both individually and as a group.

SC: What were your immediate goals?

KNIPPER: The philosophy behind GO! is very different from other service projects I've been involved with before, which took some adjusting to. The aim is for a service-learning experience. We were staying at an AIDS home known as Project Lazarus and we were going to try to help the rebuilding effort through an organization called ACORN.

We went on our trip recognizing that in 10 days, we are not going to "fix" anything. It really was all about learning and then educating others when we got back. The experience and the people we met taught us much more than we could ever repay them for. But, it took me until we got down there to realize that.

SC: What are some of the kinds of strange or unusual things you saw down there?

KNIPPER: Coming from New England and New York City, the culture of New Orleans was a shock to the system. Everyone was so laid back. We spent most of our time just sitting and chatting with the residents at Project Lazarus.

We'd always be trying to plan events and things to do and the residents would laugh at us and tell us to chill out. Also, the people were so friendly. One Sunday, we took one of the residents, Teddy, to his Baptist church service, and not only were we greeted by everyone inside, but the pastor made us stand up and introduce ourselves to the congregation.

Then, they apologized for not having lunch prepared for us so they insisted on taking us out for lunch. Let's just say that would never happen in NYC.

SC: What shocked or disappointed you? KNIPPER: Even after spending so much time learning about New Orleans and reading about how bad the rebuilding efforts were coming, it was a totally different experience to actually see it up close and be forced to wrap your head around the reality of the destruction.

Though the tourist areas are in near-perfect shape, just a few blocks away the devastation was impossible to hide. We would drive through the streets, and literally every other house was still boarded up and almost all of them still had the infamous search "X" on them. It was incredibly eerie. The rebuilding of New Orleans has barely begun.

SC: What was the most memorable thing you saw?

KNIPPER: One day, we were driving through the downtown to go pick up groceries for a barbecue we were throwing at Project Lazarus and we passed by a pretty expansive underpass on the main road into the city.

Underneath the highway was a tent city of homeless people; hundreds of people just camping out with no place to go. I know there are homeless in every city, but not usually so clustered together, which makes it impossible to ignore. But, the city was ignoring them. Some people told us that the mayor, Ray Nagin, had been quoted saying that he wanted to give everyone under the bridge a "one-way ticket out of his city."

SC: Did you accomplish what you set out to do?

KNIPPER: We were educated about a very important issue, we fell in love with New Orleans and its people and we broke down our personal barriers surrounding AIDS. So, yes, it was a successful trip.

But, our education came with a price. We cannot ignore the problems in New Orleans or let others ignore them. We have to continue working towards the rebuilding and spread what we experienced to get others involved. New Orleans needs everyone's help.

SC: What then became the most satisfying thing?

KNIPPER: The relationships we formed with the residents at Project Lazarus were definitely the highlight of the trip and seeing the effect that our brief stay had on their lives. We met one patient named Gisela, who was 22, only spoke Spanish, and was presented to us as one of the sickest in the facility.

She was really isolated and depressed before we got there because only one person at Lazarus spoke any Spanish. We had three members of our team who could speak Spanish with her, and the rest of us found ourselves picking up enough words to be able to communicate with her. When we met her, she had lost all control of her left side and her hands were slowly dying.

However, by our last day there, she surprised us by being able to lift her left arm up to her face and the nurses told us that her hands had been reversing their damage, seemingly impossible. It just proved to us the power of mind over matter and the difference that your attitude can make.

SC: Do you think the U.S. government blew it in getting help down there too late or do you think neighboring, thieving states or organizations were to blame?

KNIPPER: It's really hard to point fingers because it certainly wasn't just the fault of one person or one organization, and pointing fingers isn't going to solve the problem. Obviously, bad decisions were made and the people of New Orleans are paying the price.

We had a Katrina luncheon one day for the residents so they could talk about their experiences and that was one of our best afternoons there. What shocked me about their stories is that they weren't angry. I struggled while we were there at trying to find out where to direct my anger at the situation in New Orleans. But, the people who were actually affected by it just accepted it as a fact of life. I don't think just accepting it is the right solution, either, but I suppose it makes it easier for them to cope.

SC: What could have been done better?

KNIPPER: I really believe that it is a question of priorities. If Katrina had hit NYC or LA, or even Boston, it would be rebuilt by now. New Orleans and Louisiana are very poor places. The average income in Louisiana is one of the lowest in our nation, so the people of New Orleans had no means to help themselves.

Also, you have to question why the French Quarter and other areas of tourism are already fixed and the rest of the city is in shambles. The priorities of the city and our nation are off, and that is what needs to be fixed.