An update from Betty Lundy

For those former VIM team members following our blog, please see below an update written by Bobbie Hodges, daughter of Eleanor McClean, who recently visited the home of Betty Lundy. The VIM team that visited New Orleans in 2006 worked on Ms. Lundy's home. They installed insulation and over 100 sheets of fresh drywall in her house.

Bobbie says ...

I just got home from New Orleans and wanted to give you an update on Betty Lundy. Feel free to forward this to others who worked on her house. My parents and I visited Betty on Tuesday afternoon. The house is completely fixed up on both sides now and looks beautiful. She has a rose bush planted out front. Her daughter is living in the left side of the house as you look at it, where we did drywall. Betty lives in the right side, where we did insulation. She moved back into the house in the fall of 2007. She had let her niece's family move into the little rental house she lived in when we were there, so she was living in the FEMA trailer for several months before her house was finished. She is happy to be taking in foster children again, and has a nice room fixed up for them. She had a four-year-old girl who had just left to live with grandparents when we visited. She said they have a good foster parent support group that meets in a church and some CASA volunteers, but a lot more help is needed in child advocacy work. She had knee replacement surgery about a year ago and is still doing therapy and trying to get completely healed. Many other houses in the neighborhood are already fixed up and a few are still in progress. I think only two had to be torn down. A new church has just been built diagonally across the street from Betty's house. She was planning to go to the dedication ceremony the evening that we were there. Betty was excited to have a visit from us, and would love to have news and pictures from anyone on the work team. She still gives great hugs, and sent one to everyone else on the VIM team!

Bobbie Hodges