It’s almost been a year since fire destroyed the house of Nakia and Natia Strickland in north Slidell, but thanks to an outpouring of community support and some North Carolina college students, the Stricklands may be back in their house by Christmas.

On Dec. 1, 2007, while the Stricklands were visiting family in Picayune, Miss., a fire started in their son Zykia’s bedroom and spread to the rest of the house. While waiting for the insurance money, the Stricklands lived at Nakia’s mother’s house and finally in an apartment on Military Road. The fire left the family with only their car and the clothes on their back.

Pastor Kathleen Javery-Bacon of the Holy Ghost and Fire World Outreach Center began a campaign to get the Stricklands some help.

Volunteers Christa Galvin, left, Nicole Rosenberger and Chris O'€™Leary lay out a piece of house siding to be cut as they help to rebuild a house that suffered fire damage a year ago in north Slidell. (Staff Photo by Erik Sanzenbach)

“The neighborhood and community have been wonderful,” Javery-Bacon said.

Donations of money, furniture and clothes came pouring in. The A Storage Inn even offered two storage units for free so the Stricklands could store the donated furniture.

But the family still wanted to get back into their home. Finally, about seven weeks ago, the fire insurance money came through. Javery-Bacon got some contractors who lived in the Stricklands’ neighborhood to donate their services. The house was gutted, and work began.

Then help came from an unexpected source. A week ago, a busload of college students from Warren Wilson College in North Carolina pulled up in front of the damaged home. The students and their sociology professor started working on the house, replacing siding, painting and putting in new windows.

The students had been doing volunteer work in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. Their supervisor, Janet Jones, the college’s Service Learning coordinator, learned of the Stricklands’ plight and decided this would be a good project for her wards.

Warren Wilson College, located in Ashville, N.C., is one of the last “work colleges” in the country, according to Jones. Every student has to complete 100 hours of community service in order to graduate.

The group of students were also on another mission. They all belonged to the sociology class that was studying the impact of disasters on communities. Their professor, Siti Kusujiarti, decided that combining community service and academics would be perfect for her students.

“This has been a wonderful experience,” said Kusujiarti, who is working in the area for the second time. “We’ve met a lot of great people.”

All the students were enthusiastic about helping out after Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav and Ike, and all of them said they want to come back. They had to return to school Saturday.

“This is my second time here,” said sophomore Chris O’Leary. “You just can’t get enough done, and you keep wanting to come back.”

Some of the students were impressed at how the local community has come to the aid of the Strickland family.

“This community is so supportive of rebuilding,” said junior Erin Murphy. “The people here are so open and friendly.”

Though the students have already left, they have done a lot to make the Strickland house a home again. Javery-Bacon said the community will continue to rebuild the house.

“We are anxious to get them back in to the house by Christmas,” Javery-Bacon said. “We’re going to do it.”