the pre-Katrina, post-Katrina divide

The other day I asked a 12-yr-old boy "What's your favorite video game?" After thinking for a minute, he responded, "Well, before Katrina or after Katrina?" "Uh, before Katrina" I decided. "Zelda" was his quick response. "And after Katrina?" I continued. "Well.....Zelda." Even twelve-year-olds are making this distinction in every aspect of their lives, down to their choice in video games.

Hope Haven is the pre-Katrina childrens' shelter we've been building office space for. Pre-Katrina Hope Haven was a shelter for abused children with twelve staff members. All twelve lost their homes. The shelter was also destroyed. Due to the loss of staff Terry, the founder, reinvented the organization according to the needs of the area and the resources available.
Post-Katrina Hope Haven functions as a foster home for up to 6 children permanently and an emergency shelter. In the case of an emergency in which children are involved, Hope Haven has the capacity to house up to twelve children temporarily. It also provides training and assistance to other foster families in the area.
With its new home and the afore-mentioned office space in an adjacent building, Hope Haven is now open and received children yesterday. The home's foster family is ecstatic to receive their 4 children.
Yesterday when we were over at Hope Haven working the foster mom, Beverly, came in in a flurry of excitement pulling out last minute things from the storage room to make the kids' welcome perfect. Two days ago the kids went over to the house for a visit yesterday afternoon. Seeing Beverly with those kids was priceless.

Karen is one of the three remaining staff members of Hope Haven. Yesterday we were able to help her move into her new home. She closed on another house less than a month ago. She and her family moved in, painted, and went to meet the neighbors who exclaimed "Oh, it's so great that the last family finally got rid of the black mold in that house so they could sell it." Karen had never been informed of any black mold (which had not been removed) and had to move out. Now, with her husband who is in the special forces recently deployed to the Middle East, she and her daughter, Sofia, have finally begun to settle into a home. As we were unloading the moving truck we came accross some of Sofia's artwork which had been on a top shelf, just avoiding the 4' of water Katrina put in their house. Karen told us that she wept like a baby when she finally entered her house after the storm because she was so grateful that this sentimental treasure had been spared.