On May 17, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Gulfport, Miss., during National AmeriCorps Week to celebrate the 100th home restored by YouthBuild through its Katrina rebuilding project. Since July 2006, 34 YouthBuild AmeriCorps graduates and more than 140 students from across the country have used the construction skills they learned from their programs to rebuild housing on the Mississippi coast that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Primary support for the project came from the Corporation for National and Community Service.

The ribbon-cutting event also marked the launch of a new, permanent YouthBuild AmeriCorps Gulfport program that is engaging youth who reside on the Mississippi coast in learning construction skills to rebuild homes in their communities. This project will be funded for three years by the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service.