She was uprooted from her childhood home in New Orleans East; she kept her family together after Katrina separated them; she cared for her mother after multiple surgeries; and she will soon be a proud homeowner. She is also only 21 years old.

Some might say Allison has wisdom beyond her years. Others might say she has a good head on her shoulders. Whatever it is, the fact remains Allison is one extraordinary individual.

A senior in high school when Katrina hit in 2005, Allison and her family evacuated to Baton Rouge. They stayed with some family friends for an extended period of time and decided to find a more permanent residence. Allison led her mother, Debbie, and sister, Ashley, who was pregnant at the time, to Texas where they would stay with another family friend. They eventually found an apartment, and began to settle in.

Allison wanted to return home though. She had some unfinished business at home in New Orleans. She headed home to the Crescent City to finish high school and receive her diploma. It was a difficult move for Allison to leave settled life in Texas and return to the uncertainty that lived in New Orleans. Allison graduated and got her diploma from McMain High School.

Allison spent the next year searching for a job. She took the time off as an opportunity to care for her mother. Having recently been diagnosed with severe depression, Allison's mother Debbie remained in dire straits.

"She is such a wonderful mother, but she feels like she has let her kids down somehow," Allison said. "We're still a family no matter what." In September 2008, Allison obtained a permanent job with the New Orleans Police Department. She works as a Tech 1 in the fingerprinting department and her sister, Ashley, works as a 911 dispatcher. Since the storm, Ashley has become the mother of two beautiful daughters, Marli and Madason. The girls will celebrate their first and fourth birthdays this holiday season, respectively.

Allison cannot only support her mother emotionally, but now she is able to financially support her family.

Currently, Allison and her mother sleep on the floor at a family friend's house. It is not much, but she stays positive.

"I am very thankful and grateful just to have a roof over my head," she said.

Allison accumulated enough money to purchase a home for her and her mother to live in.

"I have to say, this is one of my greatest accomplishments," she said proudly.

When asked what she is most looking forward to about her upcoming move, she said, "I just can't wait to see Mom putting up a Christmas tree and cooking. That will be better than all the tea in China."

Willie and Darlene have a great appreciation for the thousands of volunteers who have invested their time in rebuilding efforts in the New Orleans area.

Not only will these volunteers be rebuilding their home, but they are also the reason why Willie and Darlene have hope today.

Darlene and her daughter were in line at the snowball stand, waiting to eat a New Orleans shaved iced specialty.

"It was a long line," Darlene said. "And I love to talk so I just started talking to somebody. Then this young lady told me she had never had a snowball before."

"Well, where you from?" Darlene asked.

The young woman told Darlene she was a volunteer with the St. Bernard Project. She told Darlene about the volunteer work she had done and how she could get help.

"I'm so grateful," Darlene said. "We really needed help."

Darlene, her daughter and the group of volunteers gathered in a circle and prayed.

"They prayed that me and my family would be able to move home," Darlene said. "We didn't know how to get our house done. It's a blessing."

Before the storm, "we were fine," Darlene said. Willie, 79, had just retired. He worked for 30 years as the groundskeeper at cemetery and 9 years at the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office. In his retirement, the family was looking forward to spending quality time together.

Just before Katrina hit, Darlene, Willie and their daughter started driving and eventually landed at a church in northern Louisiana.

"I was scared," Darlene said. "But they took care of us and we slept on the church pews."

The family returned to the New Orleans area last Christmas and has been struggling to find a way to rebuild their home since then.

Darlene suffers from diabetes and can't wait to rest in the comfort of her own home. Willie continues to work hard and does as much work on the house as possible, but at the age of 79, he can't do it alone.

"I wasn't sure when we were going to get home," Darlene said. "This is a blessing."

When Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2006, it marked a continuation of life changes for Lauren Lewis that had begun a year before. She had started her education at Southern University while taking care of her baby boy Tahj. Sadly, Lauren had to quit after her first semester when her aunt died, leaving and Lauren and her family devastated.

"I was crushed," Lauren says. "After my Auntie passed away my mother and I helped to take care of her three kids along with my son."

Lauren's family has always been close-knit and when Katrina was taking aim at New Orleans, Lauren and 46 families members took off on what turned out to be a 16 hour journey to Coleman, Ala.

The family stayed in Coleman for a few weeks and Lauren says the Coleman residents' hospitality was overwhelming. They helped the family buy necessary supplies and found and paid for places for them to stay.

"The people were awesome," Lauren says "I didn't want to leave."

After a few weeks, Lauren's family decided to move to Atlanta and then to Houston. Lauren says growing up, she always dreamed of leaving New Orleans for a bigger southern city like Atlanta or Houston.

"In three months I visited both cities and I hated it," she says. "It wasn't home."

What finally, abruptly, brought the family back to New Orleans in August 2006 was another tragedy. Lauren's grandfather's remains had been identified in his home; authorities confirmed that he had drowned in the floodwaters.

The first few months being back in the city were painful enough, but their situation was made more difficult because housing was still scarce. Lauren's grandmother secured a one-bedroom apartment that 18 family members shared.

Eventually everybody began finding work and their own housing again. Lauren and Tahj currently live in an apartment with another relative. Lauren has been working part-time at a beauty salon and started back at college this fall to get her degree in Business Entrepreneurship.

In September, Lauren's great-grandmother gave her gutted home to Lauren, hoping she would be able to rebuild it and live there with Tahj.

"I was overwhelmed," Lauren says." It was just such a blessing!"

But like her great-grandmother, Lauren did not have sufficient funds to rebuild the house, which suffered serious damage in the Katrina floodwaters. She planned to slowly save money to hire a contractor someday.

But one day, Tahj, who is now 6 and attends Akili Charter School in Gentilly, brought home a flier about the St. Bernard Project in his backpack.

"I felt like it was a sign from God," Lauren says.

And with funding from the Color Purple, Lauren's dream of providing a real home for her son will finally come true.

"Everything I do is for my son," Lauren says. "I want my son to know you have to work hard, things don't come easy."

But, she says when Tahj gets anxious about moving to a real home and having his own room, Lauren reminds him that God has a plan and that things will come through for them in the end.