Lacombe resident gets house back
Marcelite Dorsey of Lacombe will never forget the letters CRWRC/DRS.
 Marcelite Dorsey has a place to call home now thanks to DRS volunteers rebuilding her once storm-stricken house. (Staff Photo by Chad Ruiz) |
As with the other 600-plus houses rebuilt by DRS since Katrina, an official ceremony was held at the 67-year-old's newly constructed home Tuesday where DRS members currently in the area squeezed into the small living room to offer praise to God and to congratulate Dorsey on her perseverance. The group presented Dorsey with a special wreath and a Bible at the ceremony. Dorsey thanked the crews with words and refreshments afterwards.
"If I were to thank them a million times, it still wouldn't be enough," Dorsey said.
The CRWRC is a branch of the Christian Reformed Church and is dedicated to providing worldwide relief to calamity-stricken areas. The DRS is an aspect of the CRWRC that is committed to providing relief to locales devastated by a certain disaster.
The DRS volunteers called the Green Shirts who worked on Dorsey's and other houses in the area traveled from Michigan and Canada and consisted mostly of 65-year-old retirees, some with backgrounds in carpentry and electrical skills.
On-Site Manager Tom Silvis said volunteers travel to the area in groups where they become carpenters for three weeks until another crew arrives to continue their work. The three-week cycle continues until the structure is complete, which Silvis said takes about 15 weeks.
DRS works with the Northshore Disaster Recovery Committee, which receives information from applicants that go through a rigorous qualification process until they are deemed a worthy candidate to have their home rebuilt.
NDRC Case Manager Patricia Fowler said she takes pride in granting people like Dorsey a home to live in.
"That's what I want out of life now," she said. "To help the community and get that satisfaction out of helping others."
Once construction began, Dorsey's home took about six months to complete, but after waiting nearly two years while living in a temporary trailer next to her house, she said she didn't mind.
"I'm thankful for the trailer because it was better than nothing," she said.
Dorsey continues to reside in the trailer until electricity is established at her home.
Fowler said the NDRC has about 60 homes on the Northshore to be completed before the non-profit organization begins shifting its focus to the Southshore.
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