Guest Post: Volunteer Extraordinaire Jack Styczynski!

Jim, Lance Moore, and Jack.

Holy mackerel has PNOLA ever come a long way since my last volunteer visit six months ago!

Will and Denise, how do you even recognize the place these days?

Director of Operations Jim MacQueen and the new staff have it hummin’.  Never before had I attended a welcome home ceremony, and last week, Heidi and company celebrated two!  I was honored to be at Debra Green’s, eating delicious spaghetti.

Auburn John, music man Ian, my “neighbor” Devon and (undisclosed) Bridget are all business out in the field.  Boss me around!  Mellow Gil was the most low maintenance housemate ever, although I’m sure he’ll be glad to have his own place soon.  Happy birthday to Rob, and best of luck to Christian’s Fightin’ Tigers and Saints, especially the latter, who won twice for me on this trip.

Speaking of which, I still can’t believe I met four of the Superdome’s finest last Sunday.  Did you know Jahri Evans is a huge Philly sports fan?  That Malcolm Jenkins wears a bow tie even though he doesn’t tie one?  That Lance Moore had never caught nine passes in a game before the win over the Texans?  (Actually, he caught 11 if you count the pair of two-point conversions, both of which he says were the same play the team ran successfully in Super Bowl 44.)

Those guys and second-year donor Roman Harper truly are Saints for their financial support.  Thanks to Jim Coningsby for inviting me to meet them, as well as Denise, Sarah and Andrea for spicing up the evening (Andrea sure knows how to work a room).  Most of all, God bless the Rush family for their Christian witness, not to mention their outdated contact information (wink).  The night was a dream come true for this Yankee Who Dat.  I wish the whole PNOLA staff could have been there.  They all deserve it.

My next trip will be in conjunction with the Final Four—back in New Orleans for the first time in nine years—when I’m sure fellow hoop-head Kirt and I will have plenty to discuss.  And hopefully, there will be more volunteers, so the crew doesn’t have to mention me every day on this blog (wink #2).

Now, back I go to the cubicle.  Later.

-- Jack