Spending time on the Soaringwords Mission with my daughter Heather was one of the thrills of my life. We loved mentoring so many wonderful children at the school. Going to the hospital and visiting with the kids and giving them the quilts and pillows was an incredible feeling!!!- Audrey White, San Jose, California

As I had watched the disaster unfold on TV, I knew that I had to do something to make a difference to help the people of New Orleans know that they are not alone. That’s why I was thrilled to travel to New Orleans with Soaringwords. The 72 hours we spent there were amazing. I truly feel that I made a difference in the lives of many kids. -Linda Breskin, New York City

MetLife has shared Soaringwords initiatives with our employees since 2004. In 2005, over 300 MetLife employees in six offices around the country enjoyed being part of Soaringwords hands-on activities for Make A Difference Day. In 2006, I emailed the team captains in eight offices and within 24 hours over 1,015 employees had signed up to participate with Soaringwords. We featured the Soaringwords New Orleans Healing Mission in our Foundation Annual Report and were delighted to have MetLife employees from the region deliver the quilts and pillows to children and families at the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. This is an organization that is professional, personable, innovative and delivers tremendous take-home value for our employees. They also make it a pleasure for me to manage these programs since they are pros. -Mavel Jones, Program Manager, MetLife Foundation

I asked my friends to make a donation to Soaringwords instead of giving me presents for my 10th birthday party. I raised over $460. I was proud to go to New Orleans on the Soaringwords mission. I met lots of cool kids who were really happy that people came from far away to cheer them up. I am going back in November and bringing many of my school friends and camp buddies. -Josh, 5th grade

I never thought that going to New Orleans with my parents would be so much fun. It was really rewarding because we were able to make a difference and help the people of New Orleans. It felt really good to give of myself. It was cool to meet kids my age at the school and hang out with them. It was meaningful to go into the hospitals and visit with the children. And, we got to hear some jazz and see the sites too. I am going back in November and bringing lots of my friends. -Jonathan, 12 grade

What a wonderfully successful program! We did several events with our college students throughout the year. New Orleans Hillel first introduced Soaringwords to the Tulane community in the spring semester, post hurricane Katrina, at a campus-wide (Tulane, Dillard, Loyola and Xavier Universities) community service project called Outreach New Orleans. Outreach New Orleans attracted over 3,000 students and community members. The Soaringwords project, set up shop in an elementary school a few minutes walk from the Tulane campus. At 10 in the morning, 70 plus students and community members showed up to decorate quilts. It was so amazing to see the transition of the day. Early in the morning, everyone was shy . . . and quiet . . . and concentrating on what they were drawing. By lunchtime, everyone was talking and laughing and ooing and ahhing
over each other's quilts. Students from all faith traditions worked together for the greater good . . . the level of fellowship was truly amazing and inspiring.

The next Soaringwords event was a Decorating and Dinner event on campus. 30 plus students enjoyed pizza and friends while decorating pillows and quilts. The buzz about the quilts is definitely out there. Since we have them displayed in our Hillel House living room, many students, sorority and fraternity members and student organizations have inquired about the quilts, including students from all over the country who stayed at our Hillel building while doing community service in New Orleans for Alternative Spring Break. We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with Soaringwords.”--Jody Portnoff, MSW, Assistant Director, New Orleans Hillel at Tulane

On Sunday, September 10th, New Orleans Hillel hosted 70 Tulane and Loyola students that gathered to decorate SoaringQuilts and Pillows. The group was excited about the opportunity to send inspiring messages to children through their artwork and words, and for 5 hours, more than 300 SoaringQuilts and Pillows were decorated. -- Hanan Nayberg, Community Outreach and Engagement Associate, New Orleans Hillel Center

Watch video footage from last years New Orleans Mission.

New Orleans Mission FAQs.

French Quarter Marriott hotel has set aside limited amount of rooms for Soaringwords' delegation. Click here to reserve your room at a discounted price. Soaringwords group code is 'soasoaa'

Save your spot on the Delegation today. Click here to fill out registration form (you can also download the form)