Last updated 04.26.2010
Rosemary Returns Home
"If you do nice things for people, one day people will do nice things for you." These words were spoken often to Rose Mary Davis by her mother. Rose Mary is a 72 year old widow who has resided at the same address in Franklin, Louisiana for the last 46 years--with the exception of two and a half years following the hurricanes of 2005. The damage they caused forced Rose Mary to relocate to a very small apartment while she hoped her son would be able to restore her home to a livable condition.Rose Mary's son made extensive attempts to salvage the integrity of the structure, raising it onto blocks and replacing the joists underneath. Although he tried his best, there was no way that the family home could be saved. The winds of the hurricane had shifted it, creating cracks and holes large enough for rats from the cane field next door to invade its interior. Rain penetrated the damaged roof as Rose Mary continued to manage financially and physically in her small space across town. Rose Mary requires the assistance of a walker to move about because she suffers from rheumatoid arthritis; her only source of income is a small disability payment each month.
Despite the grimness of her situation, Rose Mary never lost faith that she would one day live again at her Mitchell Street lot, the only asset she held now that her home was in need of demolition. She continued to regularly attend services at her church, the Franklin Revival Center, where she learned about a "forgivable" residential loan program. A fellow church member's daughter picked up an application for Rose Mary at the Franklin City Hall.
Rose Mary was the first to benefit from Southern Mutual Help Association's Renewal Loan Program, administered by SMHA's lending affiliate, Southern Mutual Financial Services. The program, funded through a grant from Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), offered 0% forgivable loans of $25,000 to seniors for repairing hurricane-damaged homes. The loan, termed "forgivable," did not need to be repaid as long as the repaired home remained the principal residence of the original applicant or another qualifying senior citizen. But because the materials and labor to rebuild her home were more costly than the amount of the loan, this did not resolve Rose Mary's unfortunate circumstances.
SMHA worked immediately to find a source of volunteer labor. The Mennonite Disaster Service, who had been volunteering their homebuilding services through SMHA since Hurricane Katrina, was happy to help. The MDS referred SMHA to Nik Fritz, director of the disaster response crews from five Mennonite churches in and around Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania. Their five district churches had just established a new disaster response coalition and were looking for their first project.
Under Fritz's direction, builder volunteers constructed the components of Rose Mary's new home--wall and roof sections--in a vacant sewing machine factory in Pennsylvania. Once these sections were complete, the volunteers loaded Rose Mary's unassembled house onto a trailer for its long journey to St. Mary Parish--all at their own expense.
Also making the journey to South Louisiana was the first crew of workers who would build the home. Each of the five churches sent a crew, rotating their work efforts weekly. SMHA provided living quarters for the crew members at its Community Development Center at Four Corners. Not only did these churches from the North graciously donate much-needed expertise, services, and labor, but they also collected donations among church members to pay the expenses beyond the forgivable loan.
As the large trailer exited the highway to find its eventual resting spot, it became evident that electricity lines in Rose Mary's subdivision would interfere with the trailer's passing. Local community assistance stepped forward to find a solution. Bayou Tractor Company of Franklin volunteered to transport the individual house sections on its equipment to Rose Mary's property through the adjacent cane field.
Rose Mary's history with the Taylor family of Bayou Tractor Company goes back many years. Rose Mary was employed by the Taylors as a caregiver and housekeeper for Joe and Paula Taylor. While Mrs. Taylor was ill and out of state being treated for week-long periods, Rose Mary kept the household running smoothly so Mrs. Taylor could concentrate on getting well. She made sure the children attended school, were dressed in clean clothes, and were well-fed. Each child has a favorite meal that "My Rose" prepares.
Each of the five weekly crews picked up where the prior one left off, until the last crew put the final touches on Rose Mary's new home. Rose Mary showed her appreciation by cooking meals for crews on Friday evenings before they began their more than 20-hour return trips to Pennsylvania. Volunteers immediately felt admiration for Rose Mary and her "spiritual fortitude," as Nik Fritz recalls. The crew that was there for her birthday celebrated with her in the nearly-completed interior of the house.
Rose Mary Davis now relaxes on the front porch of her lovely new home as a result of the collaborative efforts from nearby and faraway. Fritz commends the cooperation and helpfulness of Wendell Bogan of the St. Mary Parish Planning Office, the generosity of the Taylor family, and the assistance and support provided by Southern Mutual Help Association. Rose Mary knows that her mother's words were true, and after all the nice things she has done for people, today is the day that nice people have done things for her.