A young rebuilding volunteer from Peters Township, Pennsylvania, a Pittsburgh suburb, needs help paying hospital bills after being shot in New Orleans.

Mark Smith, a 23 yer-old AmeriCorps volunteer, was shot several times while trying to stop a car thief, according to a recent article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The thought of any volunteer in the city to help rebuild being shamefully attacked, injured, or worse is no doubt sickening to anybody, but also especially despicable to we Katrina survivors who appreciate each and every volunteer effort.

A fund has been set up to help this young hero: Mark’s Fund c/o Community Bank, 4139 Washington Road, McMurray, PA 15317, and at Bayer Heritage Credit Union, 100 Bayer Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15205. Read the article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.