ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <title>The Color Purple  Meet the Families  Rochester</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/style.css" type="text/css" charset="utf-8" /> <!--[if IE 6]><link rel="stylesheet" href="css/style_ie6.css" type="text/css" /><![endif]--> <!--[if IE 7]><link rel="stylesheet" href="css/style_ie7.css" type="text/css" /><![endif]--> </head> <body id="families"> <div id="wrapper"> <div id="header2"> <div id="title_city"> <img src="images/title_rochester.gif" alt="Meet the Families WHOSE HOMES ARE BEING REBUILT WITH DONATIONS RECEIVED FROM THE ROCHESTER ENGAGEMENT OF THE COLOR PURPLE." /></div> <div id="cont"> <div class="title_story"> <img src="images/title_rickey.gif" alt="Rickey" /></div> <div class="divider_top"></div> <p><img class="famPic" src="images/rochester_rickey.jpg" alt="Picture of Rickey" />Rickey and Crystal have overcome many hurdles in their past, but always managed to find a way to make ends meet. Rickey and Crystal always said,  life was good. As long as they were able to pay their bills and be close to family they were happy. Disabled by a car accident at the age of 16, Rickey has always done everything he can to provide for his family. <br /><br />The couple welcomed their first child into the world just shortly before Katrina arrived turning everything upside down. The family had recently gained possession of a large trailer and was ecstatic to finally have a home of their own. <br /><br />Unfortunately, they were forced to evacuate before they were able to get settled in their new home. The family packed up and headed to Shreveport, LA where they settled at a campground surrounded by many other evacuees. The campground became their home for the next thirty days as they waited to hear news of what was left of their home. <br /><br />Eventually, Rickey was able to borrow a car and return to the St. Bernard Parish to survey the damage. He was devastated.  The hardest part was seeing everything covered with mud.  Everything we owned covered with two-and-a-half feet of mud, Rickey said.  The kid s toys: that was hard to see. <br /><br />In the meantime, Rickey and Crystal began receiving funds from FEMA, which they used to support their cost of living as they waited to return home. The family made its way to Mississippi where they were able to rent a three bedroom doublewide trailer. Rickey invested some of his money and bought tools. He started making a living by rebuilding homes for other families. <br /><br />Later that year, disaster struck again. Rickey suffered from a stroke. Unless he could avoid stress, doctors feared he wouldn t survive another six months. Rickey lost ability to speak or walk without assistance, and his wife Crystal took on sole responsibility of caring for the household. <br /><br />Time passed and the family was finally able to receive a FEMA trailer. They parked the trailer in Rickey s Grandmothers lot and were thankful to be closer to home and family. Rickey and Crystal also received Road Home Money, which is granted to families for rebuilding costs, but with no other source of income they had no choice but to use the funds to live off. <br /><br />Just when things seemed as if they couldn t get any worse they did. Around 1:00 a.m. an intruder broke into their trailer and held Crystal and their son up at gunpoint. The Local Police suggested they leave until it was safe to return to the region. Reluctant to leave their family, Rickey and Crystal relocated once again to Biloxi, Miss. <br /><br />With the help of their family, Rickey and Crystal have returned to St. Bernard Parish. Rickey s mom and grandmother purchased a home for Rickey and Crystal. Funds were very limited when they moved into the new house, but at least it was a home. They hung plastic on the studs to make rooms, and they bought building supplies as they could afford them. <br /><br />Four years after the storm, Rickey admits there were times he wanted to give up, but it was his family that kept him going. The family feared Katrina had ruined their life forever, but they are starting to gain hope again. <br /><br /> Now that I have the house I feel hopeful Crystal said. Crystal s aspirations for the future are simple. All she hopes for is being around family and having a safe home. <br /><br />Rickey never forgets the day there was a knock on the door and St Bernard Project was there offering to help him and his family. Rickey knew then that everything was going to work out.</p> <div class="clear">&nbsp;</div> <div id="btn_donate"> <a href="http://www.stbernardproject.org/v158/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=221&Itemid=38"><img src="images/btn_donate.gif" alt="Donate" /></a> </div> <div id="footer"> <a href="http://colorpurple.com"><img src="images/footer_url.gif" alt="Visit The Color Purple's official website" /></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </body> </html>