Dr. Frank Shaw, Kathryn Sokolowski, Leroy Jones, and James Rice at the Palm Court Jazz Clubmusicians back to the Big Easy.

The team from Illinois State worked on the homes of two musicians: Lawrence Batiste, a snare drummer for a jazz trio at Riverwalk, and Andrea “Drea” Lee, who sings with the New Orleans Opera Association and works in the Psychology Department at Loyola University. “We are proud to have faculty and students who are willing to spend their free time helping those in need,” said Dean Olson. “While we often praise excellence in teaching and research, the service commitment of our faculty and students is often overlooked, yet it is no less impressive.”

During their week in New Orleans, the ISU team removed ceilings, wall board, plaster, and base boards; demolished kitchens and bathrooms; and pulled all the nails in order to prepare for the installation of new baseboards. The team was required to wear mold-certified respirators due to the toxic black mold that proliferated during the long period the homes were flooded. At the end of each day, the debris was removed from the homes to the curb for pick-up by FEMA crews; these stacks of debris are called “FEMA piles” by the locals.

Arabi’s overall goal of bringing back the musicians is similar to that of the New Orleans Musician’s Relief Fund (NOMRF) in conjunction with Illinois State’s WGLT. While Arabi focuses on home restoration, the NOMRF is helping musicians find and get to gigs to support themselves. The Fund also replaces damaged instruments. WGLT has adopted Leroy Jones, a protégé of the famous Louis Armstrong and a preeminent Jazz trumpeter in New Orleans, and is raising funds to replace trumpets damaged by flooding. WGLT will be collecting monetary donations to purchase new professional instruments for the artists. WGLT will also collect working instruments and equipment to send to students and other artists in need. Funds and instruments will be collected at every GLT event this year. For more information on the Arabi Wrecking Krewe, visit http://www.arabiwreckingkrewe.com/ and for more information on the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund, visit www.nomrf.org.