Tar Heel Women's Golf Coaches Assist Hurricane Katrina Victims
July 7, 2006 Earlier this summer, June 5-9, University of North Carolina head women's golf coach Sally Austin and assistant coach Patricia Martinson went to New Orleans, La., to assist in the construction of a new home in the Katrina-ravaged Upper 9th Ward. This was part of "Project Team Build" in which members of the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) and the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity joined forces to build a home in this area that was torn apart by Hurricane Katrina last September. Below is a first-hand account of their experience from assistant coach Patricia Martinson followed by several photographs from their trip: "Upon our arrival to New Orleans, our friend Susan, with whom we stayed in the Quarter, gave us a tour of Katrina's devastation. We drove through high, middle and low income communities where the devastation seemed to go on and on for miles in every direction. It had been nine months and yet so many areas were still ghost towns and very little work had been done in the neighborhoods. "That was when I realized how much this area needed people like Sally and me. I was really glad that we were going to be able to help one family that had been affected by this devastation. I was anxious to start pounding nails and get this family in their home as soon as possible. "Sally and I, along with other college golf coaches, worked together in the New Orleans sun and hot temperatures. In a few short days we were able to see the construction of the house go from the floor up to the roof. All of us agreed that it was tough work, but well worth it, and we all wished we could have stayed longer to see it finished. We usually only get to see one another at golf tournaments so spending time with each other outside of the golf course was really nice. Work was hardly talked about and instead we focused on making a difference in the Upper 9th Ward. I know Bernadette and her family will love their new house and will always be thankful for what Habitat for Humanity and our Golf Coaches Association did for her."
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