Alexandria, VA -- On Sunday, May 31st, one day prior to the opening of the PSDA Spring Technology Conference, 14 printing professionals participated in a volunteer work day in the St. Bernard Parish of New Orleans. Organized by the Print Services & Distribution Association (PSDA), in conjunction with the St. Bernard Project, event attendees were given the option to arrive early and volunteer their time to help rebuild one of the many homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina nearly 4 years ago.

Volunteers met at 7 a.m. Sunday morning to depart via van from the historic French Quarter to make their way to the St Bernard Parish, a journey taking them through the Lower 9th Ward, which still revealed the wounds of the hurricane. Vacant slabs where proud businesses and homes once stood, signs painted on dilapidated buildings indicating the safety of the building and the number of dead, and spray painted pleas reading "Do not forget us" populated the landscape.

After an hour orientation, workers arrived at the job site to spend seven hours insulating the ceiling and walls of this freshly framed home, preparing it for the drywall that was slated to be hung the following day. The event was an inspirational and emotional day for each person involved, touched off by a visit from the home owner, fondly referred to as Mama D.

"With 14 people that had never worked together, it took a little while to find our way around and understand the art of hanging insulation. Measuring, cutting, stapling, reloading staple guns and working at breakneck pace. We wanted to get the job done and we only had one day to complete the task," said Joe Webb, president of Formsystems, Inc. "But, what really made this day special was a little gracious lady standing in the middle of the room - Ms. D. the owner of the property. In very painful and heartfelt words she shared with us that she was born in the home 76 years ago and would die in the home. Soon everyone in our small working party had swarmed around her to get to know her, hear her story and offer some words of encouragement."

Work volunteers included Amy Clark, Gina Holt, Kim Mesplay and Jessica Werner of Ward/Kraft; Joe and Karen Webb of Formsystems, Inc.; Denny Pottebaum and Robin Robertson of Quality Resource Group, Inc.; Al Pipkins of ATPCO; Nathan Goldberg and Susan Abramson of Specialized Office Systems, Inc.; and Dave Merli, Mike Pramstaller and Stacey Gallagher of the Print Services & Distribution Association.