Spring Break
Helping hands
A group of Brandeis and Tufts University students took two trips to help rebuild New Orleans
by Lital Shair
Features | 5/20/08
Posted online at 6:15 AM EST on 5/20/08
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"New Orleans is really a beautiful city, and it's just a shame to let it be in shambles," Kleiman said.
Kleiman was one of 18 students who participated in the second NCV trip to New Orleans from March 19 to 24. Of the 18 students, eight of them were Brandeis students: Noah Kaplan '08, co-founder of the national organization and Brandeis NCV president, Gaurav Gharti-Chhetri '10, Adam Greenblatt '10, Jaehwan Oh '10, Kleiman, Tia Oliver '10, Maiya Marshall '08 and Nicole Rosenberg '10 represented Brandeis volunteering, along with 10 Tufts University students
Inspired by a volunteer trip to New Orleans with the Brandeis and Tufts Hillels last spring, Kaplan and Tufts senior Jonah Peppiatt, decided last summer to create NCV. The group received non-profit status last spring break.
Last August, Kaplan, Vareschi, Gharti-Chhetri and six Tufts students went on the first NCV trip.
"Brandeis has only a couple of organizations … that do community service on a national level," said Kaplan.
Kaplan said students were able to go on the August trip for free because of donations from the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, the synagogue Kaplan and Peppiatt attend. Several Tufts organizations, including Tisch College, Hillel and the Institute for Global leadership, also contributed donations.
Before the students participated on their second trip in March, the Student Union allotted the organization funds to cover the Brandeis students' flights and other expenses in New Orleans.
NCV members stayed at the Wesley Foundation, a Christian organization at Tulane University, and worked with two relief organizations, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and Common Ground. Volunteers cleaned up an arson site and walked dogs at an animal shelter.
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