The road to Bethlehem

NEW ORLEANS -- The main building of Bethlehem Volunteer Center, the camp for one of the St. Olaf groups, is what used to be the gymnasium for Bethlehem Children’s Treatment Center. After the young residents of the center were evacuated in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the site -- located in the center of one of the hardest-hit areas of New Orleans -- was deemed to be ideal as a staging area for long-term disaster response efforts and was set up as such by Lutheran Disaster Response. Wisconsin native Katie Huener is director of the camp. Assisting her are Construction Manager Larry Felsheim and his wife, Ellen.

The camp, surrounded by a razor-wire fence, shares resources with an adjacent, Lutheran-affiliated facility called Camp Restore. Both facilities are located in a hard-hit neighborhood of homes that are still recovering from the effects of the hurricane. Bethlehem also lies on the shore of a small lake teeming with waterfowl and fish (but which has not been tested for contamination since the hurricane).

The old gymnasium that is Bethlehem has been divided into two bunkrooms (men’s and women’s) plus a general meeting/staging area that includes room for supplies. The practical structure is a work in progress demonstrating that, while a sound base facility is important to long-term efforts, there are still more important projects in the city.

After-dinner pastimes for students include reading and studying, playing basketball, playing cards, watching TV and just hanging out. Lights go out at 10 p.m. Lights on again at 6 a.m., and then back to the day's projects.