Yuman helps New Orleans rebuild after Katrina

Yuma resident Celia Venegas is not your average person.

Her fun personality and quick sense of humor have made her a favorite with the children she works with as an education coordinator for The Salvation Army's Boys and Girls Club in Yuma, but it's what she did on her free time that really sets her apart.

With many family and friends her age having children and settling down, Venegas took the opportunity to liberate herself a little, by helping others.

"She just returned from a two-week volunteer service in New Orleans," said program director for the Boys and Girls Club, Edith Benavides. "She took vacation time and spent her own money to help rebuild homes on Musicians Row with Habitat for Humanity. We're very proud of what she did."

After spending her vacation days in the past on the beach of Rosarito, Venegas longed for something more meaningful. But it was a NBA All-Star game that set a light off in her head.

"I'm a huge basketball fan and I was watching the All-Star game that was in New Orleans, at the same time a cousin called to tell me she was pregnant. I just thought, 'I don't have kids, I'm single and I don't have the same kind of commitments holding me back from doing something big.'

"I had been feeling like I wanted a bigger role in this world. I work with kids and I know I make a difference here, but I wanted to make a difference on a larger scale. I saw the All-Star game and a brief bit about people helping out with Habitat for Humanity. I knew right then that's what I wanted to do, so I booked my plane ticket."

After booking her ticket for a one-week stay in New Orleans, she was disappointed to learn that she couldn't afford a two-week stay, the amount of vacation time she was allotted. But with the help of her family and a yard sale that raised over $400, she canceled her plane ticket and booked another ticket for a two-week stay.

She was in New Orleans from April 27 until May 11 helping rebuild homes and volunteering with the St. Bernards Parish Community Center after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

"Yuma and New Orleans are completely different. On the plane ride there, I looked out the window and it was all swampy. While there, I stayed at Camp Hope, an old school that is being used by Habitat for Humanity to house volunteers. I stayed 25 minutes outside of New Orleans Parish, and I learned that parish means county over there.

"To see the devastation ... it's just a lot to take in. It's been three years, but you have to see it, it feels like it just happened. You pass by houses that have an X with coding that stills says a dead body upstairs, or two dogs inside. You see houses split in two with mold growing out of the split. It's a really weird sight to deal with. Knowing that we're helping out ... but that there is still so much left to do.

"When we went through a drive of the devastation, there was nothing there. At first I was expecting to see houses but then it sunk in, people used to live here, those piles of bricks was somebody's home at one time."

Venegas described the area as looking "like a bulldozer ran wild with vegetation taking over."

"Families live in houses with the spray-painted code, and I thought, that house is plagued. It bears the mark. It looks like it just happened yesterday. It was breaking my heart ... I was in tears. But I am glad I saw it."

One of the harder things Venegas had to deal with was helping those left in the devastation who still had a smile on their face, despite what they had been through, knowing that they had lost not just their material possessions but also their friends and loved ones.

"These people still have a jump in their step. They still have smiles on their faces. They aren't complaining about what they lost. They are eager to share with you their experiences.

"I thought what if you lost all your material possessions, what would be left of you? What would your character be? Could you stand alone with nothing and still be strong.... they were.

"It's such a big world out there. Being from Yuma, you can forget that. You have to go out there and experience it, and help other people along the way. Life isn't always about the job with the big income and fast cars. That can all be taken from you. It's the person you are inside that remains. That's what you should invest in."

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STATS AND FACTS

- Name: Celia Marie Venegas


- Birthplace: Yuma, Ariz.

- Occupation: Education coordinator for the Salvation Army's Boys and Girls Club

- Marital status: Single

- Children: None yet

- Pets: My tortoise, Tortie, who I share joint custody with.

- Political affiliation: I don't like to categorize myself as anything in particular.

- Favorite thing to eat: Chicken, it's open for anybody's interpretation

- Favorite local restaurant: Olive Garden

- Favorite midnight snack: Jack In the Box chicken sandwich, plain with lots of ketchup.

- Favorite movie: "The Notebook"

- Favorite TV show: I have two, "Chelsea Lately" and "The Office"

- Biggest pet peeve: People smoking near me.

- If the world was ending tomorrow, what I'd do today: Live. Laugh. Love.

- Most unusual or interesting skill: Creative writing

- If my life had a theme song it would be: "Just Fine" by Mary J. Blige

- If they make a movie about me I'll be played by: America Ferrera with blonde highlights and hazel eyes.

- Favorite weekend getaway: I love to go to San Diego on the weekend. But who doesn't when you live in Yuma.

- Favorite vacation spot so far: Doesn't that go hand in hand with my favorite getaway?

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Stefani Guerrero Soucy can be reached at ssoucy@yumasun.com or 539-6857.