Note from Brandi Jones, May 19, 2008

I arrived home and realized that I missed being in Biloxi and I missed the people! The week just went by so fast. It was just a short time to meet so many wonderful people and do something so extraordinary.—I will continue to be inspired by this past week for a very long time to come! It was great to return home and have so much support from my friends and family and my co-workers!—thank you to all of you for your emails, phone calls and kind words!—you’re the best!!!!--- and thank you George for your kind words!—the world is definitely a better place because you!!—thanks for being you!

Note from Tim Smith Friday, May 16

Thursday and Friday were very rewarding and challenging because of the rain showers and thunderstorms. We showed our resilience Thursday with many trips on and off the roof and in spite of everything, we still managed to finish the shingling. We had four other main groups working on “our” house: Waste Management WM, The Hardy Group, Best Buy and Americore volunteers. WM had some workers there all week and other volunteers, like Best Buy, were there for only part of the week. These changes created some challenges with getting to know the new workers and integrating them into the crew.

The challenge of meshing also brought two of my greatest joys from the week. First, our own volunteer, George, was so valuable in helping everyone become more productive. I admire how

George bounced in and out of various tasks, did the little things that others avoided and was so encouraging and helpful all week! Second, on the last work day, Rashad, the 8th grade child of the homeowner, Mary Bunch, began helping to install the vinyl siding. When the family left, he made a point of giving Wes, one of the volunteers Rashad worked with most of the afternoon, a big hug. It was a special moment – this cool kid was really touched by Wes and to notice the affect of a few hours of work on a young man from a single parent home was a blessing to see.

Note from George E. Coaston Jr. Friday 5/16/08

I would like to say that I had fun working with our PG&E team. We were all willing to learn something new and jump in wherever and whenever we were needed. We worked with so many wonderful people to complete the work is such a short amount of time. There were about 2000 volunteers on the building sites. Ten new houses were constructed in Biloxi, twenty new houses in Pascagoula and thirty houses were rehabbed in Gulfport. In addition, there was a staging area on the beaches of Biloxi that served as a framing site for other homes throughout the Gulf Coast Region.
I will like to thank PG&E for allowing us to work on this project. I would like to encourage PG&E to continue to support events and others like it. I would like to be selfish right now and volunteer for our next event.

Amber: - Excellent job on getting onto the roof and overcoming your fear of heights. All of your siding work was right on. The drive to continue to complete the work was motivational.

Brandi: - Your ability to work under pressure was extremely appreciated. The dash to complete insulation installment was remarkable. The weather was extremely hot and you kept on going. Also, that final paint job to the inside of the house gave the home a feeling of completion even though construction will not be completed for another week.

Tim: I think that I would call you, “The Go Too Man”. No matter what the tailboard was in the morning, you were one of the first persons with their hand up to work on one of the harder projects. No matter how hot it got on the roof, you stayed to complete the work at hand. You were able to adapt to many different jobs and you nailed in the last piece of siding on the side of the house (Smile).
Thank you all for being a part of one of the most worthwhile experiences of my life. Thank you PG&E for making it all possible. I would also like to thank our families, friends and co-workers for all of your support.

Final Day of Work - Brandi Jones

The rain did delay the progress on the house today. We were inside trying to primer the walls, but it was so dark from the stormy skies that it was hard to see. George saw the need for some work lights and headed off the store to buy some.—George is amazing and before we knew it, he was back and we were all painting primer on the walls! The pictures from that day really capture how dark it was outside, due to the stormy weather. It was a very eventful day as along with trying to accomplish tasks on the house, we were able to meet the homeowner and her two children and have President Carter and Mrs. Carter come by and take photos with the volunteers and the homeowner. I was able to paint a room with Mary Bunch, homeowner, along with her daughter and son, Dominique and Rashad. They are an adorable family and it was great to get to know them. Dominique’s favorite color is pink and I told her I would send her something “pink” from California and her little face lit up and she ran over to her mom and said, “Mom, Miss Brandi is going to send me something pink from California!” She is just so cute! Her brother Rashad loves the color red and video games and he was such a gentlemen and helped us paint his sisters room! Mary gave me their address and our assistant house lead said that their mailbox will be put up by the end of the week, so I’ll be putting a package together from California for the kids!

Friday evening was fun as a few volunteers and our assistant house lead, Sarah, got together and had dinner at the Hard Rock Café. George’s cousins also came up and his cousin Cornelius brought us some homemade praline candy!---oh, my goodness, that candy is yummy!!!!! It was so nice of them to drive from New Orleans to Biloxi that night to see us before we left and bring us candy! J It was an amazing week and the dinner together was a perfect way to wrap up the week. I was so fortunate to meet such wonderful people and to forge new friendships!
I have been so honored all week long to be a part of something so extraordinary. I want to thank PG&E for this opportunity to be in Biloxi and for PG&E’s continued support of our local community. I also want to thank all my fellow co-workers in Redding for their continued generosity!!!—I would not have had an essay to write or pictures to send without all of you making all the local events possible! I am so honored and fortunate to work with all of you!

BRANDI JONES

Final Day of Work - Amber-Michele Douglas

Once the rain subsided, I tackled the siding again. I did not want to leave until it was done, but with the weather, we were not able to complete the task. The family who would own the home came today as well to put in their Sweat Equity hours. I was able to speak with the kids that would occupy the home and they were soooooo excited! The daughter was eager to paint and the son wanted to hurry and get started hammering. Because the home was not complete, we did not do an official ceremony, however we did do a mini-one with the family. The ceremony was so emotional when I was asked to speak I couldn’t get the words together. Anyone who knows me knows it is NEVER hard for me to speak, so I am sure you can imagine how I felt at this time. I didn’t want to leave.

Thanks again to all that supported me in this endeavor and I am so looking forward to next year!

AMBER-MICHELE DOUGLAS

Final Day of Work - George E. Coaston, Jr.

Today we started with more strong winds and rain. We were afraid that our work today would be limited. For the first two hours, we were in the house to avoid a server lighting storm. With the skies so dark, it was hard to see in the house that we were working on. After about an hour of waiting to start work, I left with one of the crew leads to purchase work lights for our house and the two other houses next to ours. After we returned with the lights, we start the day’s work in the house by picking up safety hazards and priming the walls.

Today, I also got the opportunity to meet the family who will be moving into the house we were working on. Mary, the mother, works for Home Depot and will be moving into her first home thanks to the generosity of Habitat for Humanity. Mary has two children, Rashad, 14, and Dominique, 11. The whole family was on site helping to build their new home. It was my pleasure to help them with their dream. President and Mrs. Carter visited our home site towards the end of the day today. They checked out the home we were building and thanked us for volunteering. They also took time to take photographs with the volunteers.

GEORGE E. COASTON JR.

Day Four of Work - Amber-Michele Douglas

Well as you can see from the above postings, weather was definitely a challenge for us today! I decided I would attempt to install siding. While it may have seemed to be a simple task, I learned the siding has to be even all around the home. Measurements had to be exact and most pieces had to be special cut. I had a nice time today because it gave me a chance to meet more volunteers that were working on the house. I met quite a few interesting characters and made new friends.

Closing Ceremonies were tonight. As I entered to ballroom, I noticed Fred Brewer, our liaison between Habitat and PG&E. I stood in the back with him and chatted until I heard an uproar in the front of the room. He said, “Oh, Jimmy Carter must have just walked in.” I darted away from Fred just to see if I could get a close look at him. By the time I made it to the front, I didn’t see Mr. Carter so I assumed I missed him. Not the case at all, I was sitting TWO ROWS IN FRONT OF HIM! As he walked from the stage I snapped a few good shots of he and Mrs. Carter. The ceremonies were very nice! Videos of the week were played and the announcement for next years Carter Build location were announced

AMBER-MICHELE DOUGLAS

Day Four of Work - Brandi Jones

Well, today was definitely stormy!! It’s a little weird to be back here and have a “severe storm” warning—when is hurricane season?!!!! The winds sure did come up, the lightening flashed, thunder rolled and rain poured!!!!!! Tim and I hand cut lots of fascia board with “snips” out in the rain. It was definitely a wet job and it looks a lot easier than it is!—finally, after an hour or more, Dee, one of the crew leads saw us hand cutting this stuff and said that she would go set up a saw station for us.—I will forever be grateful to her for that!!! J I spent the rest of the afternoon doing siding. Once the weather settled down and stopped storming, it actually cooled off a little bit. The closing ceremony will always be a fond memory—thanks, Tim for finding “the door” to get us inside the ceremonies! J! And thanks George, for your divine intervention so that we could get in the “door”! J! We met a young gentleman at our table that evening that was with the team from Ireland. It was great fun talking with him and learning about Ireland! I wrapped up the evening with one of my fellow volunteers, Bernadette, from upstate New York, in the lounge enjoying the really fantastic live music---lots of fellow volunteers from various sites were there along with some very interesting locals!

BRANDI JONES

Day Three of Work - George E. Coaston, Jr.

Thursday was a very frantic day for everyone. We were in a race with Mother Nature to complete our day’s assignments for most of the morning, which included roof work and installing siding. We began our various assignments in a rush to beat the storm that was already on its way. The forecast for today included severe thunderstorm warnings and a high wind advisory. Tim and I worked with the other crewmembers on the roof installing shingles, Amber and Brandi worked with other groups installing siding. At times, I felt that this race would never end. It seemed that every time we would pick up steam, the weather would force the whole group of about 20 volunteers into the house for safety. We never gave up and we completed our roofing task. Between the down pours, we would ascend the roof to install another one or two rolls of shingles. This went on for around four hours, until we got a break in the weather. Our goals were met today and we should be able to complete most of the work on the siding tomorrow. The day ended with the closing ceremony at the Beau Rivage.

GEORGE E. COASTON JR.

Day Two of Work - Brandi Jones

Oh my goodness!!—what day!!! I spent ALL morning working along side Stephanie from Nissan. Nissan was our house sponsor. Stephanie and I worked on the house wrap. We were using this VERY sticky waterproof housewrap tape.—it’s like packaging tape x 100!!! It was literally sticking to the skin of our hands. After a few hours of that, our hands and fingers were all red. Then we were given the task of putting the foam insulation around the newly installed windows. Unfortunately we were told that we should NOT get it on our hands, when we asked “How do we get this yellow goop off our hands?!!!” J It was really “yicky” stuff. It was on the palms of our hands and on our finger tips/nails. We walked to the neighborhood store to buy something that would help us…but, it was not coming off!-- poor Stephanie had a VIP event to attend early that evening! And yes, today was hot and inside the house it was getting quite warm as the roof was on, shingles were being laid, walls were up and windows were installed—not much air moving through this hot house! George and myself spent ALL afternoon installing ALL the insulation inside the house. It was definitely a hot and sweaty afternoon. It was definitely a sauna!!! I can’t remember ever sweating that much for that long!!! Especially when you were stuck in a small space like a closet that required cutting the insulation to make it fit in the spaces. Then after about 2 ½ hours of this “sweat session” the contracted dry wall team came in like a “hurricane” and the pressure to get all the insulation in before the drywall whizzes put up the dry wall was on! So, for the next hour we frantically worked to get it completed and we were barely one step ahead of the “whizzes” but we did it!!!!!!!! Then we were off to Pascagoula for the Block Party! It was fun! This was the first night that I got back to the hotel room and never left!—I was worn out!---thanks George, for bringing “the blog” to us, since we were so tired!

BRANDI JONES

Day Two of Work - Amber-Michele Douglas

Today was a very different day for me. I signed up for this build expecting to learn new things, meet new people and educate myself more on Habitat for Humanity. I believe on just day three I have accomplished this and much more. I have challenged myself on some many levels it is unbelievable. Today, I decided to join the roofing crew! Why I decided to do this on the HOTTEST day we have had so far is beyond me, but I did. I conquered my fear and climbed the ladder with the assistance of two kids from Americorp. I made sure I went potty before I went up because I was NOT in for the climbing up and down the ladder. I looked around and saw the other volunteers walking around as if we were casually walking on the beach. I initially asked other volunteers to explain my assignment to me in one spot and to also bring me my roofing supplies. As time went on, I decided it would be more efficient for me to get up and get my own supplies as I was installing shingles. To have to ask for each one would be a hassle and the other volunteers started ignoring me anyway! I started walking around and did not leave the roof until it was time to leave for the day! I was so proud of myself until it was time to get OFF THE ROOF… Today was also a great day because we were able to leave the jobsite ‘early’ and attend a Block Party in Pascagoula, MS. The block party combined all 2,000 volunteers from each site and gave us a chance to learn more about Pascagoula. The Mayor was so emotional in giving his speech I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place. He stated 95% of the city was buried and destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. The city is currently in the process of re-building.

AMBER-MICHELE DOUGLAS

Day Two of Work - Amber-Michele Douglas

Day 2 of building was a great day! The day actually started early for us because we were under the impression the last bus to the build site left at 5:50 am when in fact the first bus to the site was 6:00am! Leave it to a PG&E employee to show up before anyone else! We were welcomed to Yankee Stadium where we meet each morning for breakfast and morning devotional. After breakfast, we all walk over to our site; get a briefing and a work assignment. Today was a VERY hard labor day! Tim worked on installing the roof, Brandi, George worked on Insulation, and I worked on installing windows and attaching straps to the home to help prevent storm damage in the future. I have been working with the Waste Management Team from all over the United States and they have been VERY helpful. I have learned quite a bit about home building and how to make sure codes are met for the city inspectors… Let’s just say that it DOES matter if a nail is not hammered in straight! (wink wink). We also met the mother that is going to move into the home. She was very excited and thrilled about the work we are doing for her and her children. Many thanks to PG&E for allowing us to come and experience this event!

AMBER-MICHELE DOUGLAS

Day One of Work - Brandi Jones

What an amazing experience these past few days have been! I am so proud to be here in Mississippi, representing PG&E with my fellow co-workers, at this incredible event!

I have never been to the south, so visiting New Orleans and meeting George’s family and seeing the after effects of Hurricane Katrina was a very touching experience. To stand in the ninth Ward on the porch stoop of George’s grandma’s house, look around, and see only other porch stoops was a moment I will never forget. An entire neighborhood just gone. To see in person what I had only previously seen on television had a profound effect on me and to meet survivors of Hurricane Katrina was inspiring!

The opening ceremony on Sunday was fabulous—Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Senator Wicker and John Edwards were there! That kicked off the beginning of why we came here…TO BUILD HOUSES!!!

Monday morning came before we were quite ready—we were waiting at the bus around 6am! It was great fun to go the Yankee Stadium on the school bus to meet the other volunteers and head off to our house!—we are house #1 in Biloxi and it is just a few blocks from the stadium. We arrived on site around 7:30am and work began. By the end of the day, the walls were all standing and the trusses on!!! It was lots of hard work and George and Tim were part of the team hand laying trusses—no crane on this job site!!!! It was incredible!!—check out the pictures!

Having lots of fun in Biloxi, Mississippi!!!

Oh, and for my fellow employees back in Redding….I haven’t seen any alligators!!

BRANDI JONES

Opening Ceremony - Tim Smith

Visiting New Orleans was somewhat overwhelming. There is so much work left to do. Since Katrina was about 2 ½ years ago it is easy to put it out of consciousness. To see so many areas with little or no rehab, since the hurricane, highlights the task and opportunity before us. This has brought my greatest sense of pride in working for PG&E that we as a company would “step-up” and make a difference; and choose to send me with these incredible fellow workers. So, thank you PG&E and so many others in the community that have also expressed their gratitude for sending us!

We rushed back to Biloxi with enough time to prepare for the opening ceremony. It was encouraging to have Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, introduce Jimmy and Roselyn Carter. President Carter gave some inspiring words and anecdotes. We met many people from arrival and continuing. People from as far as India, Tokyo Vietnam as well as many states so far. Everyone has been so kind and friendly.

TIM SMITH

Arriving in Biloxi - George E. Coaston, Jr.

Wow, what can I say? It is so amazing to be here in Biloxi, Mississippi, Working side by side with so many volunteers.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to have the chance to participate in such a worthwhile event. I have met so many people with a drive to help others with no reward other that helping someone else.

Well, here is what you have been waiting for. This is a short record of some of our activities.

On Saturday, I met the PG &E team. After arriving to Biloxi, we decided to drive to New Orleans to view that cities devastation. Upon arriving, we decided to visit my uncle’s home, so that I may show the group the damages and the repairs. To my greatest pleasure, we walked in to a family celebration. As I opened the door, I saw my mother standing in the room equally surprised to see our group. Today was the birthday party of my first cousin. My parents arrived earlier in the week to help my uncle work on his house and to attend their college reunion.

After eating our fill of Crawfish, Crabs, potatoes, corn, sausages and hand made pies, we headed to the lower ninth in New Orleans to see my Grandparents lots where their home used to stand. We also took time to visit other parts for the city. We viewed historical sites as well as feasted at Caf’e Du Monde on Beignets (French Doughnuts). We then viewed parts of the French Quarter then returned to Biloxi.

On Sunday morning, we retuned back to New Orleans to do some more site seeing and to visit one of my aunts. It was a great experience to have members of our company getting to know my family. After visiting for a while, we did some more touring and headed for our first official event for the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Habitat for the Humanity Work Project. The reception was great. We meet in a sport field that the Salvation Army manages with huge tents and a state of the art broadcast system.

GEORGE COASTON

Incredible support - Tim Smith

Wow,

What incredible support and encouragement from so many fellow employees and friends. Thank you all! Tim

Welcome to PG&E's Carter Build Blog

Welcome to the blog for PG&E volunteers attending the Habitat for Humanity Jimmy Carter Build week in Biloxi, MS.

Four inspiring PG&E employees have been chosen to attend this prestigious event to work along side Jimmy Carter to support hurricane Katrina victims.

Check back here during the week of May 12th for updates from Biloxi.

The PG&E Carter Build Team includes:
Amber Douglas

Brandi Jones

George Coaston, Jr.

Tim Smith