Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts-Volunteering Opportunities in Texas – The Voluntourist

Areas in Texas need assistance after Hurricane Harvey flooded and destroyed many homes.

If you’re looking for ways to give back, consider volunteering to muck and gut houses affected by the storm. Here are organizations I recommend:

1. All Hands Volunteers needs people in Baton Rouge to help in recovery efforts of painting and last minute touches on homes affected by unprecedented flooding that happened last year.

They have teamed up with people in Houston to guide volunteers in recovery efforts there.

You can take a bus to Houston from Baton Rouge for $23 and it’s a five hour long trip.

For more information click here.

2. Hands on New Orleans. I’ve actually volunteered with them before and they’re great.

Volunteering really isn’t supposed about the person giving back, but in this instance, I’m thankful volunteering helped.

By: Heather Newgen | Twitter: @hnvoluntourist

Things were going well. I had a full-time gig as an entertainment reporter interviewing Hollywood’s top celebrities, I was traveling the world thanks to my job and I was doing well financially. Life wasn’t bad.

Heather Newgen interviewing Sarah Jessica Parker

Heather Newgen covering a red carpet event

Then 2010 happened…

My Grams died just a few days into the New Year. When I was 14-years-old I went to live with my grandparents and I was very close to them so I was just devastated by her unexpected death. 10 years before she died, my Grandpa passed away so now I was alone in California without family, which was something I always knew would happened, but dreaded.

My Grams

About a month later I found out our home would be going into foreclosure. Thanks to the corporate greed that caused our economy to greatly suffer, the house was no longer worth it’s value and she owed more on it than I could afford to pay.

RELATED: How to see New Orleans in 72 Hours

I was crushed. With so much thrown at me at once, I decided I needed a break. I was emotionally overwhelmed and shocked by the situation. I didn’t want to feel sorry for myself any longer and needed to get a new perspective so I thought what better way to do so than to help someone else.

I’ve always loved New Orleans and was heartsick about Hurricane Katrina and the oil spill so I decided I wanted to spend my vacation there volunteering.

I thought now the year would for sure get better since I was building good karma by helping others at a time when I really needed help. But nope that didn’t happen. I’m not sure why I thought that would work anyway.

Instead a few days later I clumsily fell down the stairs in my own apartment and fractured my foot in a couple different places. Who does that? I laughed it off the best I could and thought this has to be the end of my bad luck. Wrong again.

Heather Newgen being clumsy–something that hasn’t changed

I was suddenly laid off from my full-time job, a company that I’d been with for seven years. It came out of nowhere and without warning. It was incredibly disappointing to say the least. I couldn’t collect unemployment since I was 1099’d and I didn’t get a severance package.

Heather Newgen covering an event

By this point I was wondering where the hell my good karma was and why all of this was happening to me. I was trying to have a good attitude about it all, but it was really, really hard.

I somehow forced myself to keep going and tried to remember what I believe; “everything happens for a reason.” I was depressed, upset and just pissed off.

And things continued to get worse.

For months I had been sick while all of this was going on and I was hoping it was just stress, but it wasn’t. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. It took a long time to get the illness under control, but I was finally starting to feel better.

Heather Newgen in hospital. Her dog Murphy pays her a visit.

I was looking forward to getting out of Los Angeles and spending some time in NOLA. But five days before my trip I got into an accident and caused $6,000 worth of damage to my car. Are you freaking kidding me?

It was my fault and I took full responsibility. Thankfully no one was hurt and there was no damage really done to the other car—just mine.

I was about to lose it. In six months I’d lost everything and I started to think there’s no way I could continue to go on like this. It was too much.

I couldn’t afford now to go to New Orleans to volunteer, but something inside of me kept saying I was meant to go and to find a way to do it.

Jackson Square in New Orleans

So as much as I didn’t want to I began to fundraise, which I had never done before. I’m very prideful and I never ask anyone for anything. In fact, I don’t really know how to ask for help and I’m bad at accepting things from people. I’d rather give because it makes me more comfortable to do something for someone else.

However, I was at a point where I had no choice. I sent out an email explaining the circumstances to my friends and colleagues. Within 24 hours I had the money I needed to go. I began to cry and felt guilty for being so down and negative. I had been blessed with the most amazing gift and I couldn’t believe it.

I made it to New Orleans thanks to the support of some great people and I have to say it’s been one of the most positive and rewarding experiences I’ve had volunteering. I didn’t think about anything I’d been through once, but instead focused my attention on the people who I was there to help. My problems didn’t matter—it was all about them and I actually started to feel something I haven’t felt in quite some time—happiness.

Heather Newgen volunteering in New Orleans

I almost forgot what it was like to feel anything other than sadness and desperation.
I went to NOLA to serve a community that has been hit hard with tragedy after tragedy. I went to help a city try to overcome a little of their hardships and to attempt to make a difference, but instead the work I did and the people I met helped me more than I could ever imagine.

After getting back to LA, I was in a much different place emotionally and I don’t think that would have been possible without this trip. While I was still bummed about my circumstances, I felt like it was going to be okay and that my situation was nothing in comparison to others I met on this adventure.

Volunteering has always been rewarding, but this time it did something for me that it never has before –it rescued me and I can’t thank New Orleans enough for that.

Volunteering abroad is a wonderful way to help others, but please ensure you’re giving back in an ethical way. Check out our tips below and use as a resource when searching for responsible volunteer programs.

By: Heather Newgen | Twitter: @hnvoluntourist

When volunteering abroad, or in your own community,  it’s important to remember not all good intentions equal good outcomes. It’s commendable that you want to give back, but it’s essential you do so responsibly. Before committing to any organization, ask yourself what value you will add to a project and how others will benefit from you volunteering.

1. When volunteering abroad, do not sign up for a project you’re not qualified for. If you’ve never picked up a hammer before, why would you build a school? You will not magically know how to do construction in another country if you’ve never done it before at home. Only take on assignments you have the professional background for or that you’re highly skilled in. Unfortunately, many organizations will encourage volunteers to work in positions and fields they’re not experienced for as a way to make a profit. Be wary of such companies.

2. Never work with an organization that doesn’t do background checks on volunteers especially when working with children.

Gituamba JKC Primary school
Photo courtesy of Start With One Kenya Non-profit

3. Short-term volunteers should always be supervised when interacting with kids and not work directly with them. Instead assist the staff. This will minimize attachment issues for the kids, keeps locals in charge and maintains stability. A revolving door of inexperienced volunteers isn’t helpful for them, so please keep that in mind when volunteering abroad, or locally.

4. Support organizations that aim to keep families together when volunteering abroad. And think twice before working in an orphanage. There have been several reports of children being recruited away from their families with promises of an education and better life. Instead they are placed in a orphanage and paraded around for tourists to see and take selfies with. This benefits nobody except the shady people running the scam.

RELATED: Orphanage Tourism in Nepal–UNICEF Report

5. Ask voluntourism companies what they’ve done to accurately identify the needs of a community and what local partnerships have been established. There needs to be a sustainable long-term goal in place that helps people gain invaluable skills that will assist them in achieving an independent living. I explain it like this, it’s great to give someone a piece of fish if they’re hungry, but teaching them to fish so they can be self-reliant would create a lasting impact rather than a short term solution.

6. Do your research, ask where your money is going, and look for red flags like the ones mentioned above when volunteering abroad. Do not sign up with organizations who aren’t transparent about their financial records.

7. Learn the needs of the community. Never assume you know better than they do. Your job should be assisting them achieve their goals, not trying to fix problems you know nothing about. There can be a fine line between helping and interfering. Always be wary of imposing your beliefs on a community.

When helping others, have realistic goals and understand you’re not saving the world. However, know you can make a positive impact and change someone’s life. Voluntourism and volunteering at home or in another community can be effective when done responsibly.