By A.M. Kelley
Catholic Herald

Frederic group reaches out to Katrina victims

FREDERIC -- An unlikely matchmaker introduced Kathy and Chuck Billeaud to the people of Frederic, Wis.

The matchmaker, known to most of us as Hurricane Katrina, blew apart thousands of Gulf Coast homes on Aug. 29. One of those belonged to the Billeauds in Biloxi, Miss.

About 1,400 miles north of Biloxi is Frederic, a quiet town of 1,262 people in central Wisconsin, a little east of the Minnesota border. It had no real ties to Biloxi until two of its residents, Brian and Enid Johnson, traveled there in September to help with relief efforts. They talked to hundreds of homeless victims but a chance meeting with the Billeauds began an extraordinary friendship.

It all started when Brian Johnson, a retired Frederic pharmacist, and his wife joined a team of international relief workers who call themselves the Samaritan's Purse, an arm of the North Carolina Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The Johnsons were not on a clean-up or construction crew, but were among the volunteers sent to comfort victims and fellow Samaritan team members who were traumatized by the level of suffering encountered in Katrina's wake.

"We had three important things to do," Brian Johnson said, "listen, listen and listen."

He met Chuck Billeaud on one of these listening assignments.

The Billeauds had evacuated their home before Hurricane Katrina came ashore on Aug. 29 and found shelter in Hoover, Ala. In a phone interview after Christmas, Chuck Billeaud said the Alabamians were some of the "nicest people in the world." It seems that the Billeauds, while not favored by Mother Nature, have really lucked out in the friendship department.

When given the thumbs up to return to Biloxi in September, Chuck Billeaud didn't know what to expect but did not fear the worst because their home was about 18 feet above sea level and had been untouched by previous hurricanes.

"I thought there was a possibility that we'd have a house when we got back," he said.

But there was no house, only four feet of debris in its place.

"I had no idea what to do," he said. "We prayed."

Then he did what all his neighbors were doing -- he walked around their home site and sorted through rubble.

"I was looking, just trying to find something, anything from my life," he said.

He was clearly overwhelmed with the loss and Brian Johnson was called in to talk to him, or rather, to listen.

Johnson had seen much suffering in Biloxi and heard many tragic stories, but something about the Billeauds' plight made it difficult to walk away from the couple. Kathy Billeaud had cerebral palsy and her husband was a veteran of more than 20 years in the Navy.

Back home in Frederic, Enid Johnson said, "Our hearts were broken for them." Her husband responded, "Wouldn't it be cool to go back and build them a house?"

That simple but kind and sincere wish spread when the Johnsons took the idea to the pastor of their Frederic Evangelical Free Church and then to an informal ministerial group which includes the Catholic, Evangelical, Lutheran and Methodist congregations in and around Frederic.

"The pastors thought it was a great idea," Brian Johnson said.

Fr. Dennis Mullen, the pastor of St. Dominic, Frederic, and Immaculate Conception, Grantsburg, was part of that group.

"We were looking for something to do to help the Katrina and (Hurricane) Rita survivors," he said.

The Billeauds fit the bill. After the churches became involved, civic groups followed suit and one 16-year-old student -- Brian Knauber -- designed a Web site for the project. Soon the people of Frederic and its small neighboring towns were caught up in the enthusiasm of the idea. A real, concrete plan evolved to raise money and purchase materials. A draftsman drew up the plans for a modern barrier-free, handicapped accessible house. Fund-raisers took shape. Many materials and labor hours have been donated. The social concerns committee at St. Dominic planned a shower to help furnish the house.

"Why did you pick us?" Kathy Billeaud said when she got the news.

"We didn't," Enid Johnson said. "God did."

"We are part of a big puzzle which God has put together," Brian Johnson said.

A big puzzle, indeed. Money is the first, and most difficult piece. The Billeaud's home had a $45,000 mortgage and they are not expecting help from their insurance agency. Even though Katrina brought 185-190 mph winds to Biloxi, insurance companies claim their house was destroyed by water, not by the hurricane. The house was not in a flood zone so they did not have flood insurance.

The Johnsons had talked with 140 owners of destroyed homes in Mississippi.

"Out of 140 homes, not one was going to get a nickel of insurance," Brian Johnson said.

Money's one problem, buying lumber, Sheetrock, doors, light fixtures, paint, appliances, you name it, is another.

"You can't buy materials down there," Brian Johnson said.

Because of the extremely high demand now, store supplies are depleted and availability of construction materials cannot be counted on -- it all has to be trucked down.

When it all comes together -- and no one in Frederic doubts that it will -- on Jan. 15 a caravan of trucks, trailers, motor homes, cars and one bus will leave Wisconsin. On board will be about 65 people, give or take a late-in-signing-up Good Samaritan. It'll take more than hammers to get the job done. Cooks will feed the crews, others will run errands and take care of children. Retired nurse Jeannette Laqua of St. Dominic is among the many gofers filling one of these roles. Construction will begin on Jan. 17 and they hope to get the job done in three weeks.

In the meantime, Chuck and Kathy Billeaud are living in a small RV near Biloxi. He still works for the Navy as a civilian computer specialist and is one of the lucky residents not forced out of work by the hurricane. Their son and four grandchildren also lost their home and are waiting for a Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer. Kathy Billeaud, a native of New Orleans, has two sisters who lost homes in that hurricane-ravished city. She said her "deep-down faith" has helped her keep her head up.

This is the story, so far, except for one shiny detail. In the Frederic area, the Billeaud's house rebuilding campaign has come to be known as the Butter Knife Project. The name came right up out of the muck and dirt that Katrina left behind.

While digging in the debris which was once his home, Chuck Billeaud looked down and saw something he recognized, a utensil from their kitchen -- a butter knife.

"I picked it up," he said. "It reminded me of the star over Bethlehem, giving me hope, new life."

The word "hope" comes up often while listening to the people working on this project.

With all the hurricane destruction in the south this year, Brian Johnson said he has been asked how a little community in Wisconsin can make a dent in the recovery by helping only one couple in Biloxi. To this he says, "You know the 'starfish story?'"

He then tells the tale of a man who throws starfish back into the ocean after a high tide. Because millions of starfish lie dying on miles of beaches, he is mocked and told, "You can't possibly make a difference." As he picks up another starfish and returns it to the ocean, he tells the skeptic, "It makes a difference to this one."

"That's how we feel," Brian Johnson said. "We hope more towns will pick up on this and do what we're doing."

And there's that word "hope" again.

Editor's note: Information on the Butter Knife Project is on the Web site, www.butterknifehouse.com. Donations are welcome in any amount but individuals or organizations may also pay for an entire room or one sheet of plywood. These details are on the Web site. Gift cards from Sam's Club, Wal-Mart and Home Depot are another way to contribute.

All contributions are tax deductible and are being accepted at all Frederic area churches and at Bremer Bank. Donations can also be mailed to St. Dominic Parish, P.O. Box 606, Frederic, WI 54837.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2006