iCare Village Construction

The construction of iCARE Village, soon to be home to more than 300 Katrina relief volunteer workers, is ahead of scheduled according to Phil Morrell, head of the Morrell Foundation and its Project iCARE.  As a result, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour will be at iCARE Village in Hancock Co on Wednesday October 12 to cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the facility. The primary 10,000 sq.ft. structure went up in just three days, and last weekend fifty volunteers from Choctow County, Alabama joined the effort  During the past week, two dozen volunteers from the San Francisco Fire Department have put in the plumbing and expanded the internal structure of the main building.  Fifteen bathrooms are now in place, and the location should have water and power within days.

The location of iCARE Village is in Buccaneer State Park in Hancock County, Mississippi.  The park and the surrounding neighborhoods were directly in the path of eye of Hurricane Katrina.  “Governor Barbour asked us to build here, and I think it was an inspired choice.  The area is totally devastated for miles in every direction.  iCARE Village is the first major structure to go up, and so many of the local people have told us that it has given them a feeling of hope” said Mr. Morrell.  “We hope to be able to house as many as 1000 volunteers at this sight, and that would have a major impact on the recovery of the area.”

The Morrell Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing housing and employment to the victims of catastrophic events.