A dozen first-year Berkeley MBA students spent their spring breaks refurbishing McDonogh 42 Elementary Charter School in New Orleans' Tremé neighborhood.
The brainchild of the trip was MBAA VP of Community Jenny Burns, who first went to New Orleans in 2006 to work with Habitat for Humanity and has always wanted to go back to do more for the rebuilding effort. The Berkeley-Haas crew teamed up with Relief Spark, a nonprofit that offers volunteer opportunities at New Orleans schools.
With only one week to make a difference, the team focused on improvements that would immediately touch the kids–painting, landscaping, repairing basketball hoops, and enhancing a bare asphalt yard with a new play structure.
It was the first trip to New Orleans for many of the Haas students, who capped their full work days with Creole cuisine, music from the Rebirth Brass Band, and a little Zydeco Rock 'N' Bowl. “I love New Orleans and was really excited to return to share the city with my fellow students,” says Burns.
To read more about student activities at Haas, visit the Haas Achieves blog.