Thanks for letting me be the guest blogger for today! I’m Natalie Seeboth, and I work as the fundraising specialist for the LIVESTRONG Challenge. I grew up in New Orleans, and when we found out that we were able to go on this trip, I was thrilled! While I have lived in Austin since 1996, my family is still in New Orleans, and so when Katrina hit, it hit close to home. My aunt and my sister lost their homes. My parents had flooding, wind damage and trees through their roof. Friends lost their homes and were separated from their family members as they fled the city.

But one of the most amazing things about New Orleans has always been its people. Despite the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, the people of New Orleans, of Louisiana, of the Gulf Coast Region… they refused to stop fighting for the place they called home. Those who were able to return came back, started rebuilding their homes, and helped others to rebuild their own homes. Today, we got to help do that as well! We split into small teams and went to work under the fantastic direction of the Greater New Orleans Habitat for Humanity employees. Our teams worked on building a roof from start to finish, cutting and nailing siding, shingling a roof, caulking siding, and setting walls in place. I was on the roof (great views, by the way!), and as I looked around at my team, I have never been so proud of the LAF. Not only were we able to raise over $100,000 for this trip and for Habitat for Humanity, but we were able to give our time and physical hard work to a city that so desperately needs it. From all of us at the LAF to the people of New Orleans: Thank you. Thank you for allowing us to give back in a tangible way. And I want to say to my team: THANK YOU. I am so honored to be a part of a team that cares so much. You are amazing and I am lucky to work with you each and every day. And to Greg, Emy and Kelsey√¢‚Ǩ¬¶ next time I’m up for shingling a roof, I’m calling you!