CUNYAC Goodwill Tour 2011 - New Orleans, LA - Day 8

Early to Rise
The day started with a trip to the airport for three members of Team CUNY who were returning to New York. The remaining team members awoke eager to get to work, despite the extreme heat and humidity. The teams returned to their sites from Tuesday, ready to tackle the day's projects.

Fun at the Community Center
The assignments are an important part of the students' development of leadership and teamwork. Today the group working on the community center at the Annunciation Mission campus continued putting primer on before moving to painting. "Everyone was tired but rebounded, pulled it together and finished strong" explained Kaili Insalaco from John Jay, "we ran into some issues with the fact that the primer and the paint looked exactly the same in the sun, so it was hard to remember what was painted and what wasn't. Although we tend to get in the zone when we work and stop talking, we still have a lot of nice conversations and have learned a lot about each other. We have a lot of fun laughing, while getting a lot of work done. I'm glad to know that I now have so many new friends."

Power Tools
One portion of the group returned to help out Rene, the owner of the house, construct a water filtration system and other projects around his home. "Learning to use a saw was a lot of fun," expressed Jonathan Castillo from Queensborough Community College. "I learned a lot about cutting boards at different angles. Geovanny and I worked on fixing up a fence that a different group had done incorrectly. We had to remove the planks, then cut and reshape the boards so they were straight. We also cut boards for the water filtration system. Today was a lot of fun."

Music in the Park
In the evening the team headed to Lafayette Square to experience the YLC Wednesday at the Square. This free 12-week concert series raises funds for the Young Leadership Council. The group listened to Eric Lindell and The Revivalists while perusing the crafts from local artists and tasting delicious foods.

Reflection
At the end of each day, the CUNYAC Student-Athletes gather in a circle and reflect on the day's events expressing the highs and lows that they've experienced. Tonight was no different as the group gathered post-concert, a few blocks away from Lafayette Square. The night was capped off with some members of the group riding a cable car and visiting the French Quarter and Cafe du Monde.