In memory of Katrina aid worker, friends and family of Matt Sloan are planting trees in New Orleans:
Worker’s memory plants seeds for trees outside Katrina homes
From Religious News Service (RNS) and The Christian Century
The last time Matt Sloan saw Sylvia Blanchard’s
House after he and Episcopal volunteer crews reclaimed it from Hurricane
Katrina, the Blanchards were back in and it was neat, clean and smelling
new.
But it was raw, too, in the way of new construction: no greenery, no
shade trees, no landscaping to soften the hard angles of its little lot.
Two things have changed since: The little front yard is sodded,
gardens are planted and young palms and crape myrtles hold the promise
of grace and shade.
And at age 29, Sloan has died.
If Sloan’s family and friends can make it happen, the plantings will
be the beginning of his legacy, which is to build a small organization
that will continue to landscape the homes of New Orleans flood victims
whose every penny went into construction costs, leaving their rebuilt
homes barren outside.
Sloan’s mother, Judy, said her son wished to “feed the souls” in his
adopted city of New Orleans .