SPAR Holiday
Being based in New Orleans meant that Katrina impacted SPAR significantly. All our people evacuated, most for the first time ever. We ended up in Houston, Jackson, Birmingham, El Dorado, Arkansas, Washington, DC and points in between. Some of us were unable to return for months. Some of us suffered damage to our homes; our offices flooded with a foot of water. It would be after Christmas before we could reoccupy our offices and everyone would be back. Meanwhile, we operated as a virtual agency – and GREW! We picked up new clients and new business from old clients. We are eternally grateful to all those who trusted and supported us during this difficult time. Your support meant more than you will ever know.
Our Christmas card has always been a fun event for us, a project where we can get a little silly. Christmas 2005 after Katrina had special meaning. Some of us lived on MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat) and bottled water after the storm. (Some of it isn’t that bad.) That became the theme for the card. Our card celebrated a back-home holiday meal with an MRE as the main course, symbolizing our gratitude for God’s grace and understanding of what this city had gone through and how terribly damaged it still is.