Hollywood's Story

Ronald, known as “Hollywood” to his friends, is a Gentilly native and Army veteran with a big smile and exuberant spirit. Ronald led a happy life before Hurricane Katrina. A proud homeowner in St. Bernard Parish, he had a good job with Shell, managing the company’s largest oil rig in the Gulf. He was also the patriarch of a proud, happy family.

Katrina hit, and brought with it flood waters 28 feet deep – enough to make the house across the street from Ronald's “look like it was hit by a bomb”. He’s only recently begun to open up about the seven days he spent stranded atop his home in Violet – “helicopters passed me every day…CNN got footage of me swimming…but no one came to help”. Ronald was finally rescued and treated in Austin, TX, but was “covered in snake bites, had suffered a minor stroke, and doctors told me I might never walk again”.

The storm gradually took away everything Ronald had. After making a full recovery from his injuries, he returned to a wrecked home, no job, and a marriage that had begun to falter. He fell into a deep depression and struggled to rebuild his life.

Ronald contacted Veterans’ Affairs, but was placed on a waiting list. While he waited patiently for things to improve, he moved in with a friend, which he recalls as difficult – “it didn’t work out”. Finally, in November 2010, VA connected him with Volunteers of America, where he was given a chance for a fresh start at our Napoleon Avenue facility. “It’s been a positive experience”, says Ronald. “The Napoleon Avenue facility is a safe, secure environment with lots of resources for veterans”. He also praises the facility for its familial environment, and it’s pretty clear that he’s well-loved by fellow residents, who always greet him with an enthusiastic “Hollywood!” and joke amiably with him.

If it weren’t for Volunteers of America, a homeless shelter is where this proud, hard-working New Orleans native says he would be. Now, with our help, he’s working on building up strength to return to work at Shell. Volunteers of America has given him the tools Ronald needs to rebuild the life taken from under him by the storm.

Click here to watch Ronald's testimonial.