Written by The IISE Annual Conference Volunteering Event, organized by the Sustainable Development Division, connects volunteer with a local nonprofit agency in the conference’s host city.
The organization selected for 2023 in New Orleans was SBP, which shrinks the time between disaster and recovery. To achieve their mission, SBP takes a holistic approach to disasters—increasing resilience before and streamlining recovery after. You can learn more at https://sbpusa.org/
Volunteers continued the home rebuilding work started by other volunteers by learning to use circular saws to cut beams and nail guns to adhere plywood to the wood frame.
During the conference, the volunteers would share their experience at the event, and provide SBP with ideas for improvement. SBP has been on a lean journey for many years, getting assistance from none other than Toyota.
The experience was even more impactful when the bus driver made a stop at the Industrial Canal Flood Wall, which broke with an explosion nearly 20 years ago, flooding a major section of New Orleans. The home rebuilding done by SBP and many other organizations in the Lower Ninth Ward is very visible, but there is still many reminders of the damage done by Hurricane Katrina.
A few of the student volunteers were interviewed during the event. You can hear their experiences in the Problem Solved Podcast
You can read the entire article and learn more about SBP at https://www.leansixsigmaforgood.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ISE-2023-August-Volunteer-Event-Article.pdf