How did BWB begin?

Following the 2005 Burning Man event, several participants headed to the Gulf Coast to help survivors rebuild their devastated communities. While the rest of the world’s attention was focused on New Orleans, the small group decided to head towards Biloxi, which had been hit just as hard but was receiving little help. The group named themselves the Temple to Temple Crew since several of the volunteers had built the Temple at Burning Man.

As the volunteer numbers grew, they focused their initial efforts on rebuilding a destroyed Vietnamese temple. After several months and a job well done, they moved to Perlington Mississippi, to continue to work hard — gifting their time — to help those in need. It was here that the name, Burners Without Borders, was born. Over the course of eight months, BWB volunteers gifted over $1 million dollars worth of reconstruction and debris removal to the residents of Mississippi due to the donation of a brand-new front loader and excavator.

BWB was the only volunteer group on the Gulf Coast to receive a donation of heavy machinery, which enabled them to put Pearlington three years ahead of the relief effort in their region. But, BWB did more than just clear people’s homes, they started burning sculptures made from the debris gathered while doing the work. Soon, the community began bringing their own sculptures and many experienced a powerful, cathartic moment as they were finding the courage together to let go of the past and rebuild their futures. This is when the concept of being ‘Cultural First Responders’ was born.