Gulf Coast Works (GCW), formerly Bridge to Biloxi, is a grassroots non-profit organization run by volunteers from Massachusetts who felt moved to help Gulf Coast residents after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in 2005. To date, we have sent more than 300 volunteers and a dozen groups down to clean up and rebuild in Mississippi and New Orleans. We have also completed rebuilding a home for an East Biloxi family, who moved out of their FEMA trailer permanently at the end of 2006.

How we began . . .

   GCW began informally as a small group of committed volunteers from Concord and Carlisle, MA, who took vacation time, bought plane tickets, and helped clean up debris, de-mold homes, and care for stray animals in Biloxi, MS. These work trips put a human face on the devastation that had occurred, and by summer 2006, more than 150 volunteers had gone to the Gulf Coast to help.

What we've accomplished . . .

   Organizing volunteers was rewarding, but GCW wanted to do more. Through a partnership with Hands On Gulf Coast, we raised funds, recruited volunteers, and worked with longtime Biloxi residents Cynthia and Dan to rebuild their family?s home from October to December in 2006. (For a tour of their home, click here). More than 100 people from New England and other parts of the country volunteered time and labor to complete the project, and generous donations from many caring people and organizations covered the cost of materials and the necessary skilled labor.

Where we're headed . . .

   With organizational and logisitcal support from Gulf Coast Works, many groups have found meaningful, life-affirming work along the Gulf Coast this year, and while we continue to offer that support, new rebuilding projects are on the horizon, both in Mississippi and in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward. Sending volunteers will always be the most important aspect of our work, supplying not only desparately needed labor but also the invaluable asset of hope that is so important to those feeling forsaken and forgotten. By taking time out of busy schedules for a “meaningful” vacation on the Gulf Coast – to become a “VolunTourist” -- you can make a real difference for residents while, at the same time, creating a truly meaningful and affirming adventure for yourself.

We hope you, too, will choose to be part of our ongoing work.