Media Contact:
Ann Wills for Camp Restore
504-494-3810-cell | ann@awillspr.com
NEW ORLEANS, La. (March 16, 2015) - Camp Restore, a New Orleans faith-based volunteer program, will celebrate welcoming its 25,000th volunteer to New Orleans on Tuesday, March 24. Over 150 volunteers are arriving in town from Arkansas, Illinois, Washington, DC, Iowa, Kansas, Washington State, Las Vegas, Nebraska, Missouri and New York, to work on volunteer projects in and around the greater New Orleans area. Following their day of service on March 24, Camp Restore will host a celebration for all 150 volunteers at 6:00PM with special invited guests, including members of the New Orleans City Council.
Camp Restore coordinates home restoration efforts, as well as connects volunteers with over 80 local nonprofits, churches and schools, doing almost every kind of volunteer work, including construction, landscaping, mentoring, caretaking, administrative help, and more.
During the nearly 10 years following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Camp Restore has annually matched over 3,000 volunteers from all 50 states and 20 countries with much-needed service projects in and around the Greater New Orleans area, contributing a total of over 1,000,000 volunteer hours since 2006.
"We are thrilled and blessed to be welcoming our 25,000th Camp Restore volunteer to New Orleans," said Pastor David Goodine, executive director of RAI Ministries, the nonprofit parent of Camp Restore. "Our work is about more than restoring homes, it's restoring faith, home and community, putting available resources to work in partnership with our neighbors to uplift everyone. It's as life-changing for our volunteers as it is for those they partner with."
Located in New Orleans East at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 9301 Chef Menteur Highway, in a renovated former school facility, Camp Restore/RAI Ministries can host nearly 300 volunteers at a time. The Camp provides clean, comfortable and safe lodging, delicious meals, and space to gather and reflect. Volunteer groups range from high school, college and university students to church groups and inter-generational family groups of all ages, all of whom serve, on average, a week at a time.
For more information, to volunteer or suggest a volunteer project, and for homeowners interested in receiving volunteer assistance in rebuilding, please contact Camp Restore at 504-242-2636 or www.camprestore.org.
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About Camp Restore / RAI Ministries
Camp Restore hosts, provides meals and project coordination for volunteer groups of all sizes and ages year-round in New Orleans, La. Through organized, monitored and vetted partnerships with over 80 local nonprofits, volunteers are able to make a difference while serving alongside local New Orleanians across a wide range of work. They return home to their schools, congregations and communities with a renewed and sometimes brand-new sense of dedication for helping others.
RAI Ministries also operates the Lower Ninth Ward and New Orleans East Senior Centers, providing hot meals and opportunities for seniors to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.