NYSUT staffer Tim Wyld joined the ranks of the union's members in walking the walk when it comes to pitching in and making a difference in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Recently, Wyld and his wife Karen, who actively work with Habitat for Humanity in Albany, decided to join a group of local volunteers and headed for Mississippi to help rebuild homes destroyed by the 2005 storm.

The group of 45 people arrived in the Mississippi community of Moss Point to find that most of the debris had been hauled away.  What remained were many empty lots where homes and businesses once flourished.

With donations that were raised before they left, the team bought and installed a range, refrigerator, a washer and a hot water heater. New plumbing and electric were installed by team members, and the interior of the gutted structure was drywalled.  By spring, the owner will be out of his FEMA trailer and back into his own home.

The team went on to complete plumbing and electrical projects, install tile and carpeting, paint, and replace many windows and doors.

NYSUT is committed to helping members and others who have been victimized in various areas through its Disaster Relief program, and continues to collect donations and award grants. NYSUT also supports employee efforts to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

"If you want your life to have purpose and meaning, it isn't going to happen by isolating yourself from those in need – be it family, friends or victims of disaster,"  said Wyld, manager of compensation and retirement plans in NYSUT s office of Finance and Administrative Services. "We all need to step up and step out to meet the challenges presented to us."