WHY: Simone Weil

To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul. – Simone Weil

WHERE: New Orleans

Though it’s been more than six years since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans stills needs help rebuilding. A number of volunteer organizations are helping residents find their way home – one of the most inspiring is The Saint Bernard Project.

The Saint Bernard Project rebuilds the lives and homes of Katrina survivors. It assists residents from industrious, working class neighborhoods in St. Bernard and Orleans parishes and neighborhoods including Chalmette, Violet, Meraux, Gentilly, the Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans East and the 7th Ward. These are communities of veterans and communities who hold potluck dinners to benefit families in need. It is an area where local fishermen and shrimpers give part of their daily catch to the less fortunate. Before Hurricane Katrina, generations of families lived within blocks of one another. Neighbors could trace their friendships back to their grandparents and beyond.

The St. Bernard Project’s Rebuilding Program rebuilds homes for senior citizens, people with disabilities and families with children who cannot afford to have their homes rebuilt by contractors. For clients who can afford supplies, the St. Bernard Project provides supervised volunteer labor. For clients who cannot afford supplies, the St. Bernard Projects buys the supplies and provides the labor.

A typical rebuild project takes approximately 12 weeks of volunteer labor and uses approximately $20,000 worth of building supplies. Volunteers play a vital role in the Rebuilding Program. Every day between 100 and 250 volunteers are in the field working on clients’ homes. Volunteers not only help in the rebuilding but they also provide our homeowners with support and encouragement during the emotional rebuilding process.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities, please visit www.stbernardproject.org .

Image and info courtesy Saint Bernard Project.

WHEN: Holiday House, November 16 – December 11

Next week, breast cancer survivors and advocates will come together to unveil a Holiday-themed Designer Showhouse event benefiting the Greater New York City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure^®. Holiday House 2011 will be held at 2 East 63^rd Street, New York, from November 16 through December 11. The Opening Gala will be held Tuesday, November 15.

This year’s participants include Bradley Theirgartner, Charles Pavarini, Eileen Kathryn Boyd and other leading designers. Traditional Home will sponsor this year’s showhouse.

For tickets and more information, please visit www.holidayhousenyc.com .

Image and info courtesy Holiday House.

WHAT: Furnish A Future

Having a home creates a sense of stability, well-being, and independence. It’s our personal space; a place for peace and security, and a gathering point where important relationships are forged and nurtured.

Home means family dinners around the kitchen table, mom cuddling up with her son on the sofa on a cold winter night, kids doing their homework at a desk in their own room.

Families leaving city shelters for their own apartments can’t usually experience these simple but important joys because they have little to no furnishings to call their own - unless they go to Furnish a Future, the only program in New York City that provides formerly homeless families leaving city shelters with furniture and household goods for free.

With their own personal furnishings, formerly homeless families can design their homes to their liking, creating a much-needed sense of ownership. This past year, Furnish a Future provided furnishings to almost 1,900 households, including over 6,500 parents and children.

To donate furniture, to volunteer or for more information, please visit www.pfth.org .

Image and info courtesy Furnish A Future.

WHO: Kendra Stitt Robins of Project Night Night

Any parent knows that it takes very few material things to help a child feel at home. Kendra Stitt Robins realized that her young son could fall asleep more easily and feel more secure – more at home – when they traveled, if he had “consistent reminders of home – blanket, book and stuffed animal.” After donating some of his old, spare comfort items to a shelter, she was inspired to start Project Night Night, which works with volunteers to create and distribute care packages including a new stuffed animal, blanket and a book to children in homeless shelters.

In her Classic Woman Award profile in Traditional Home, Kendra said, “Victims of domestic violence are lucky to be able to escape with their children, let alone their children’s favorite teddy bears. Adults need a roof over their heads and food on the table to feel safe; children need to know there’s nothing scary under the bed. A book, a blanket and stuffed animal make them feel secure.”

You can help a homeless child sleep a little more soundly and feel a bit more at home by volunteering with or donating to Project Night Night. For more information, please visit www.projectnightnight.org .

Image and info courtesy Project Night Night.

Weekly Ws: No Place Like Home

We started this week on an inspirational note, with Traditional Home’s Classic Women Awards Ceremony. Since we can’t start a non-profit of our own – at least, not yet! – we’re taking this week to highlight some organizations that go beyond design, to address the things that turn an empty living space into a home.