True American Heroes

Michelle volunteered for six weeks in Louisiana and still carries the photo of one man who touched her life. She says Monroe Parker, a homeless man she met, walked miles to get iced tea for police officers. "That's why I'm here today," she says, "because of the special, special homeless, displaced people that I met down there."

More on Hurricane Katrina

• Watch Oprah's special two-day report from the Gulf Coast
• See how donations to Oprah's Katrina Homes rebuilt homes and communities