RAA volunteers lend a helping hand in rebuilding New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS—Participants in a recent Reinsurance Assn. of America conference in New Orleans took advantage of their presence in the city to assist local volunteer relief efforts.

Prior to its February catastrophe modeling program in New Orleans, the Washington-based RAA announced it was partnering with the New Orleans Habitat for Humanity and the city's Second Harvest Food Bank for volunteer opportunities during the association's conference.

The program drew approximately 350 attendees from around the world, many of them arriving in New Orleans early or staying after the conference ended to participate in volunteer activities.

Conference registrants worked with community volunteers on the Musicians' Village project in the city's 9th Ward, building homes for local musicians and families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Others, working with the Second Harvest Food Bank, spent a day sorting and packing food donations to be sent to distribution centers around New Orleans.