Jane Krakowski is one busy lady. She currently stars in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, and is appearing on the NYC stage in the musical Damn Yankees, but it’s another role she’d rather talk about — her work as a volunteer.
The actress,39, traveled to Gulfport, Miss., earlier this month, where she met up with Tropicana Coastal Groves and Habitat for Humanity to help build homes for families who lost theirs during Hurricane Katrina.
"It was my first time to that area, and I was really surprised when I toured around the city just how much work still needed to be done after Hurricane Katrina," she tells OK!. "They were very hot, boiling days, but it was so rewarding to everyone because we saw the results of our efforts. I actually met one of the people we were building for. She came up and said, ‘That’s going to be my house.’"
Jane, who says she was inspired to help out when she learned about the partnership between Tropicana Coastal Groves and Habitat for Humanity, was amazed by how a group of volunteers were able to literally build from the ground up.
"It was so inspiring when we drove down the block where they were building houses at this particular time in Miss.," she tells OK!. "It’s literally flat land, and then you see three houses grown from scratch. When you meet the people who are getting the house, it gave me more pride in it, it’s such a responsibility that you really want to do it right so that this house is built well for them to have a new future in."
Now back from Gulfport, it’s back to work for Jane, who is busy promoting Kit Kittredge: American Girl and is also dancing her nights away on stage in the musical Damn Yankees.
Making the transition from film to theater can be tough. Katie Holmes will soon appear on Broadway in the Arthur Miller revival, All My Sons. So does Jane have any advice for Mrs. Tom Cruise?
"I’m so thrilled she’s coming to Broadway!" she gushes. "I don’t know if I should dispense any advice–Rest during the day, ’cause you’re going to need all your energy for the performances at night!"
By: Delania Dixon
