The clean-up crew of Tulane fraternity members from Delta Tau Delta (top photo) works on landscaping and other projects for Gentilly resident Lynn Honoré,shown (bottom photo) with the Tulane students at her refurbished home.

When Lynn Honoré, affectionately known as Miss Lynn, took the job as cook of the Delta Tau Delta house, she never imagined that the Tulane University fraternity men instead would be taking care of her home. Combine some hurricane damage, fraternal brotherhood and the will to do good--and you end up with a recipe for a coup de main, a French Louisiana term to describe when a community gathers to assist one of its own.

The fraternity helped Honoré with debris removal, repairs and landscaping to her post-Katrina- flooded home over three weekends, with 25 to 40 members present each time.

"Delta Tau Delta played an important role in helping Miss Lynn move back into her home," said Brian Krevor, fraternity philanthropy chair. "We had multiple work days to do a majority of the work that the contractors would not."

Honoré resides in Gentilly, a New Orleans neighborhood that sustained substantial damage from flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina and failed levees. Gentilly water levels reached 10 feet at the peak of the deluge.

With renovations completed, Honoré was the first to return to her neighborhood. At a party on June 17, Honoré's family and friends, including members of Delta Tau Delta, celebrated her homecoming.

The Delts are planning more community service projects in addition to ongoing programs in which they already participate. As part of their national fraternity's community service initiative, the chapter takes part in the Adopt-a-School project by assisting teachers or running after-school programs. The fraternity also is rebuilding a Carrollton neighborhood playground.

Just down Broadway, among the row of fraternities, the Tulane chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon initiated a community service project for "neutral ground" restoration. They are refurbishing several neglected street medians in the uptown area of New Orleans. In early June about 20 Sig Ep men started repairing the intersection of State and Willow streets. The fraternity is adopting multiple areas to maintain monthly--with plans to add areas near Broadway in July.

A third fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma, has been gutting houses for people without insurance in the Lower 9th Ward, according to Jacob Bolin, director of fraternity and sorority programs.

Bolin says the 25 Greek-letter organizations of Tulane (15 fraternities, 10 sororities) each have a national philanthropy and a local or national community service commitment. He expects, for years to come, the fraternities and sororities will focus on community service to help with New Orleans' recovery.