Miracle Needs A Miracle

COMMENT: I'm bumping this post up again and shortening it a bit. The Tulane medical students who are helping the family report that bloggers and blog readers are contributing to help rebuild the Joseph's family home.

I hardly ever post appeals for help on my blog, but this story from Scout at Frist Draft touched my heart. It's the story of one New Orleans family who has lost their home twice - once to Katrina and another time to fire.

From Scout's email:

Kellie Joseph and her 6 children lost their home to Katrina. They had nearly completed rebuilding when someone abandoned a stolen car in their backyard and lit it aflame to destroy evidence. The flames engulfed the home.

A group of Tulane University medical students who heard of this devastating news decided to help the family rebuild again and started a website named Hope in Grace for what is called "Project: Bring Miracle".

Recently the students contacted me. The online donation effort has reached a standstill after some initial local media attention. It is their hope to reach a wider audience through the Internet. They are asking for online donations to a rebuilding fund specifically restricted for use only in reconstruction.

This is where we as bloggers can help. We can't rebuild New Orleans but perhaps we can help one family that has now fallen through the cracks. We have the ability to reach a wide audience and even small donations could help bring this family home if enough people donate. They used their Road Home grant for the first rebuild so that is now lost. Unfortunately they can only receive $12,000 from insurance and so $132,000 is needed to rebuild. [A request has been made for inclusion with the Brad Pitt group however I believe there is slim hope of that panning out as their home is in a different section of the Lower 9th. Even if this would work out they would need $52,000]
....

Thanks for reading
Scout Prime at First-Draft.

It's hard for me to refuse anything to Scout, who has kept the story of the neglect and abandonment of my beloved and ruined New Orleans front and center on her blog. We've met several times when she visited NOLA. Scout and I and other bloggers worked together on gutting a house in the Gentilly area of New Orleans.

From the website Hope in Grace:

Miracle, her mother Kellie, and six brothers and sisters have all called the historic Holy Cross neighborhood in New Orleans home for nearly ten years. Her mother had worked their way out of the St. Bernard Housing Project that the family had moved into following the loss of her husband in a motor cycle accident, to become a homeowner in this neighborhood. Determined to give her children the best possible options, she kept them out of trouble, in school and church-related activities, and close to home. After the storm, her children were having a hard time integrating into their new schools, and Kellie quickly realized the need to return her family to the place that defined their being, to New Orleans. This unsettling tragedy severely jeopardized this noble hope.

A rebuilding fund has been established by State Representative Charmaine Marchand at Capital One that is specifically restricted for use only in reconstruction.

Donations can be made HERE.

Also there is a page where you can leave a much needed message of hope for the family--

I know not everyone can help, but those of you who are prayer warriors, you can help with your prayers for Miracle and her family and those who are helping them.

UPDATE: From Scout:

An update here. The Tulane medical students at Hope in Grace website inform me that $3,070 in donations have been raised since yesterday. It is wonderful and the Joseph family is extremely grateful for the donations.

I want to thank you for posting and helping to spread the word. I thought you might want to update your readers as well. As you can see we are under way but more is needed to reach the goal of rebuilding the Joseph's home. If we reach enough people we may just be able to help Bring Miracle and her family home to their beloved New Orleans lower 9th Ward. 10-12-07