Days Eleven and Twelve, 9.28.08 & 9.29.08

Hi Team,

Greetings from Pasadena, TX! It’s only a short 35 minute drive from Houston but a transition into our journey to southern Texas, more significant destruction, and greater numbers of people who will need our help.

The past couple days have been quite the adventure. We've been lucky enough to be able to set up our lab inside for most of our time in Texas thus far, but the last two sites we've been scheduled at have not had the capacity to host us indoors. Thankfully, Ground Team Ike has come prepared for such occasions! One of the main visions of what this project would look like on the ground, in all its glory, was to form a lab that could basically be set up anywhere to help people, and I say with confidence that this has become a reality. GTI has been able to successfully set up a computer lab in a parking lot, with the use of a generator and tents, to offer help! How amazing is that?!


Check it out!

Tomorrow's another big day, we're setting up and another great site and being hosted by a director with a great sense of humor (Patricia especially loves her jokes, you'll have to ask her about them next time you run into her). Well, we're all going to head off to bed, it feels like we've been gone for a couple months; its hard to believe this project is only about a third over.
G'night.

Day Ten, 9.27.08

Hi Team,

Yesterday was day five of setting up and running the computer lab, and Jane, Patricia, and I all agreed that it was the best set up we had experienced yet. We were set up in the lobby area of a gated apartment complex that contained about 1000 units. We set the table up around the perimeter of the space so as anyone entered the room all the computer screens were facing them. This open setting helped the volunteers work with the people coming in for help very effectively and easily. Although the numbers yesterday weren’t through the roof, we were able to help people with a variety of issues from filling out FEMA forms to applying for loans to searching for a new job on craigslist. We were even visited by two news station; what excitement!

Last night for dinner, we went out to this great little Mexican place, Ninfas (thanks Lee! And if you’re even in Houston, or Texas, find one of these places and check it out) and after some delicious guacamole and a couple margaritas, the drain and stress of the last week had melted away and we all felt ready to take on another day here in Houston.

Thanks for all the comments guys; keep them coming, they’re great motivation for us!

Day Nine, 9.26.08

Hi Team,

First of all, can any of you believe we left 9 whole days ago? Where has the time gone?

Secondly, be sure to check out the newest video, especially all you up coming GTI members, you know who you are... This video is a little look at what our lives are like after the lab is taken down and the RV is all packed up. Please also note that I'm leaving GTI on Oct.1, so there will have to be a new blogger, any takers?

Thirdly and finally, today was by far our busiest day at the lab. I think the word is getting out about what we're doing and what we're offering. We had some great help from Acorn today, which was really nice. Tomorrow is supposed to be even busier because it’s Saturday and I heard a rumor that a Spanish TV station might make an appearance. If they do show up, hopefully our press on Spanish TV will be as warmly received as Jane's radio interview was. (Way to go Jane!)

Thanks again to everyone out there, still in their offices, who has had a hand in helping this all come together or supporting GTI since we've been gone. Even though it feels like quite the struggle being out here, I can't imagine how hard and unorganized it would be without all of you behind us.

Cheers!

Check out our lab setup!

Hi Team,


Words can only describe so much, especially when I'm typing them after a long day, sitting in bed. Here are some pictures showing our computer lab set up. We have been fortunate enough to be able to set up inside the last couple days, but we've found its more effective to have a small set up outside to help people as well as setting up inside. Although setting up outside wouldn't be too bad. The Houston weather has been beautiful and we've even bought some tents to help with the awful glare that would be on the laptops due to the sun. Enjoy!

Day Eight, 9.25.08

Hi Team,

Just a quick update tonight: we're all exhausted after a long day of setting up, helping people trouble shoot their problems, and trying to keep up with our other office work and tomorrow is another early morning for us all. On a positive note, things in OE's IT lab went much better today. We were able to set up inside in less than an hour, with very few technical problems. The hot question of the day seemed to center around unemployment issues more than support for filling out FEMA forms as the power came back on for most of the residents of Houston. Hopefully, I'll find some time tomorrow to post some pictures!

Thanks to Lee and the Trifusion guys, Donald and Carl, for all your awesome support. We're really going to miss having you around.

G'night.

Day Seven, 9.24.08

Hi Team,

So much has happened since Ground Team Ike last posted, it’s hard to even know where to begin and what to include. When we last updated, Jane, Patricia, and I were just entering Mississippi. Patricia successfully completed the grueling 536 mile drive, with only 1 break for gas. Patricia definitely is a trooper.

Once we arrived in Houston, we were able to meet up with a couple temporary Ground Team Ike members from One Economy and one of our partners, Trifusion. Jane, Patricia, and I were so happy to have finally made it to Houston, know we weren’t going to be going at this alone the first day, and see a familiar face. So happy, in fact, we promptly parked the RV and jumped into James Gore’s (another One Economy employee) rental car to grab some dinner and spend some much needed time away from Stella.

This morning, the real adventure began. Jane, Patricia, and I were all up promptly before 7am, showered and ready to go (after some great pancakes courtesy of Patricia) before 9. Together with a couple Trifusion volunteers, a couple AT&T volunteers, and some excellent extra OE support (thanks Lee!) we were able to put together a temporary set-up station to prep the computers and get everything else ready for an afternoon open time on our big first day.

Although none of us expected everything to run absolutely flawlessly, little did we know the adventure we had in store. Despite the fact we started putting things together as early as we could manage after a draining couple of days, we realized were well behind schedule after only a short while of working to get everything ready. The Ripley House, the predominantly Spanish speaking community center we’re located at, had been a FEMA pod location so almost immediately people were coming up to us looking for help. Hearing their stories breaks your heart and everyone helping us set up wanted to do anything we could to help these people.

After experiencing some significant delays, that should only happen this one time according to the two amazing AT&T tech people that came out to help save the day(!), we were up and running by 1:30 and at full speed with all the computers hooked up by 3pm! By the end of the day, everyone on Ground Team Ike agreed that despite the problems and obstacles today had been a great success. Thanks to the food and water Trifusion brought (6 pallets in total – all gone before noon), we were able to feed 60-70 families today. Thanks to the computer and cell phone charging we were able to help 20-25 people. I realized these numbers may seem a little low for the first day, but keep in mind that was 20-25 people without any advertising, media, or prior knowledge about who we were or what we were doing. I think its going to be a really great several weeks we have this RV down in Texas. We going to be able to help tons of people fill out FEMA forms, file for insurance, find relief, and help get their lives back on track.

I guess the best thing for us to have taken away from today and keep with us, no matter who the people composing Ground Team Ike happen to be, is rely on each other. There is no way one person or one team can do this alone. Without the AT&T team, Ground Team Ike would have been pretty useless today and that’s just one small example of how much we were reminded that none of this could have come together without everyone who has been and will be involved. We all need to remember to listen to whomever we’re speaking to and work together to find the best solution. This RV IT Lab is going to cause a lot of good for those who come use the computers and helping people get relief and piece of mind will help ease our frustrations and keep us motivated.

We’re going to keep on, keeping on. Thanks for all the support!

Day Six, 9.23.08

Hi Team,

Good morning for Mississippi!

Last night we were able to tick off the miles, 320 in total, and head all the way from Hoschton, GA to just crossing the border between Alabama and Mississippi. We pulled off into a well light rest stop, around 5am (!), to try to catch some sleep so we all could be some what rested by the time we needed hit the road again. Believe me, we were all ready to head to bed by that time, even the beds and fold out couch in the RV felt oh-so-comfortable.

But now, for the thing that is burning on everyone’s mind, the pictures of our now fully completed, beautifully wrapped, pride and joy.

Well, its time for us all to hit the road again and start planning the nitty-gritty details of how this lab with be set up and become fully functional. More pics and video to come over the course of the next couple days, whenever we have a free minute.

Day Five, 9.22.08

Hi Team,

T-minus 3 hours and we’re headed off toward Texas. Jane, Patricia, and I went to go check on Stella this afternoon and boy, does she look amazing! There is still so much to do before we leave, but I wanted to let you all know that we’ll be well on our way while you’re enjoying your nice, warm beds. Check out how good Stella looks and she isn’t even completed yet.

Day Four, 9.21.08

Hi Team,

Not too much new to report back today, just more of the same from yesterday. Jane, Patricia, and I were zooming all over town gathering more supplies to fill the RV, sustain Ground Team Ike for the next month, and make this IT lab a reality. But our little car (we’ve rented a Nissan Versa while the RV is MIA) is sure getting full; poor Jane has barely any room left for her in the back seat she’s sharing with 11 folding chairs!

We’re all trying to get as much sleep before the long, draining drive into Texas. We figure once we hit the road, its going to be straight work until its time for us to return back to good ol’ North Carolina.

So, for now, we’re off to rest up.

Day Three, 9.20.08

As we awoke this morning, knowing that Stella (the RV) was in the gentle, loving hands of Nick getting prepped to be decaled, Jane, Patricia and I got to work this morning almost immediately. We stretched and grabbed our laptops even before our feet touched the ground, to catch up on the work that had fallen aside when bringing relief to the people affected by Hurricane Ike took precedence.

Throughout the morning, as we took note of what still needed to be done before we arrived in Texas, the fact that once we’re back on the RV, we’re on the RV for the next month, set in. Lists were made and plans for gathering the supplies we needed were formulated. Stella’s a big girl, but we’re still restricted on space. It makes me wonder just how creative Ground Team Ike is going to have to be by the end of this journey.

Don’t get me wrong, Jane, Patricia, and I still feel the excitement. As we were roaming the aisles of Staples and Target, tons of different scenarios were playing through our minds. Would we need scissors? What about paper clips? How many rolls of duct tape? Even during dinner our excitement stood out. Patricia excitedly told our waitress about our journey toward Texas and even left the address to this blog on the check.

Tomorrow’s another day of planning and preparing. Its just a couple short days until the RV is completed and we’re on the road for good. And I can hardly wait.

G’night y’all.

Day Two, 9.19.08

Hi Team,

After a refreshing night of sleep, we were able to hit the road ahead of schedule at 8:55am and were headed off toward Hoschton, GA, a small suburb of Atlanta, to see another of Jane’s boyfriends about decaling our beloved RV, Stella.

As we entered Hoschton at about 2:30pm, we were greeted by hundreds, no thousands, of scarecrows. All were the typical scarecrow built on a cross and fully clothed but some were imitating human activities like working on a car or even playing a game of football across a field. These disturbing looking creatures were in front of almost every building, church and open field. We were beginning to wonder if there were any clothes left for the actual citizens of Hoschton.

When we arrived at the decal place and greeted Nick, Jane’s other boyfriend, one of the first questions out of our mouths was “What in the heck is going on in this town with all the scarecrows?” Nick reassuringly informed us that we had entered Hoschton in the midst of their attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most scarecrows in any city at one time. Hoschton is currently the host of over 5000 scarecrows. With our curiosity subsided, we left our baby Stella in Nick’s care to get all gussied up for the big show down in Texas. We decided to get a hotel in another small town, Winder, without scarecrows and for our own sanity.

Now, you may be asking yourself, who is crazy enough to journey through all of these miles, leaving the office behind for several weeks and heading all the way down to Texas to rough it, with little but a hair tie, in a RV? Let’s introduce the current rotation of Ground Team Ike:

Patricia Olmstead:

She may have just celebrated her 60^th birthday, but don’t be fooled. She is the everlasting bunny on this trip while Jane and I struggle through the long days and ride along throughout the 1000s of miles.

Jane Montoya:

The planner-organizer-extraordinar. She puts on the charm and has organized most everything, the generators, RV, decals, that will help make this project the memorable event everyone is hoping for.

Laura Parewski:

I’m recording video, still pictures and word descriptions of this great adventure, helping out with whatever I can, however I can.

We’re out, Keep on truckin’.

The First Day, 9.18.08

Hi Team,

Jane, Patricia and I have made it on the road and boy, what an adventure it has been already. We left Winston-Salem, NC at 11am after packing (I mean stuffing) all of the comforts of home generously provided by Sonja into the back of the rental truck with the two generators. We made good time on the road and made it to Wilmington, NC by 3pm, even with two pit stops along the way.

Once we had arrived in Wilmington, it was (drum roll please) time to pick up the Winnebago RV and put a face to one of the guys Jane has been sweet talking all week, Mr. Kevin. Mr. Kevin was patiently waiting for us to arrive and had the RV prepped and ready for our 1.5 hour walk through and training session on how to use and utilize all of its fancy-shamancy features. The 34-foot long Adventure Winnebago is spacious, clean, and meets the ground team’s standards for calling this vehicle home-sweet-home for the next month of so.

By 7pm, the three of us we back on the open road heading out of Wilmington, NC to Atlanta, GA, our next stop to get the RV wrapped and looking beautiful. I have to be honest, at first Patricia was a bit, okay…a lot, hesitant to be driving this boat of a car. However, a mere 17 minutes after Patricia got behind the wheel we were cruising at a full 57 mph. Not soon after, by 7:24, we were full speed ahead at 60 and by 8:09 she was feeling comfortable enough to pass a car and reach 70mph! Way to go Patricia!

At 8:53 we crossed the South Carolina boarder and decided to stop shortly thereafter in a small town, complete with all the small town charm and values, by the name of Dillon. Our waiter at dinner at the local Shoney’s, a charming high school senior by the name of Channin, was proof enough that small towns are still able to instill values and manners into their young adult population that seem to be missing so commonly these days.

After a good 11 hour day and a full 335 miles, Gound Team Ike decided to call it a night and recharge for another exciting day tomorrow. One final thought to leave you guys with: During the planning stages of this journey, someone mentioned to me that this whole excursion reminded them vaguely of the movie Thelma and Louis. As the miles were passing and I had time to reflect on this a bit more, I realized that right now, I couldn’t agree more. Three girls with a lot of energy and excitement driving into the unknown with a whole lot of open road ahead of them, as we head closer to Houston, TX in order to bring some relief to people in need. We’ve already been reminded that one of the best assets on our side is the ability to be flexible and work together as a team both on the ground and through the company. I just hope that, unlike in the movie (if you haven’t seen it, you really should check it out this weekend) we don’t end up driving off a cliff after all this is said and done.

We’re out to, as they say in the south, Git’er done!