Spring Term Blog

A Week of Service

by Dr. Rachel Hedges

Monday and Tuesday

After a day of safety training on Monday, our team rose early Tuesday morning to depart for Moore, SC, for our first mission. We served a family who lost nine huge trees as a result of the tornadoes and flooding associated with Hurricane Helene a year ago. One of the trees crashed into the daughter’s bedroom. The family had only recently been able to move back in after repairs to the roof and one side of the house. We came just in time to bless them with a great deal of yard work and tree removal.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, we spent the day helping a veteran and his family. This property also had about ten trees down, along with several that were partially down because they were hung up or leaning onto other trees. Students watched the Sirens Project professionals safely bring down the trees that were hung up and leaning dangerously. Their techniques involved a great deal of thought and engineering. They explained their steps to the students, and it was fascinating! After the trees were safely down, the students dragged the pieces and limbs to a giant pile in the woods. The family was so grateful, especially because one of those trees had been leaning over an outbuilding, which was now no longer in jeopardy.

Thursday

Thursday’s GO Team worked at two side-by-side properties. One had been condemned by the county because the property owner had given up, was not doing any cleanup, and had vacated the house. The property had sat for a year with a large tree on its side, lots of debris, and a yard full of hay. Jason and Charlie weed-whacked the entire front of the property, and then Jason and Andrew exposed the front walkway to the sun again. Penelope and Ashley chopped back shrubs and ornamental trees that had become so overgrown it was hard to tell there was more than one tree there! Everyone raked up straw from the front yard and carried off bag after bag of leaves, hay, and weeds. Several students even got to operate the skid steer and haul away huge logs and branches to a pile at the back of the lot. The students made a tremendous difference in the appearance and safety of this property—so much so that the county was able to remove the red tag from the front door.

Meanwhile, the other half of our team worked next door. That family had a large number of fallen trees, which our team was able to cut up and clear away. The guys raked what felt like a million leaves and left the lot in great shape. The family has two young children who were excited to be able to ride their bikes in the yard again. As an extra-special touch, some of our guys even created a “race track” around the lot for the kids.

At the end of a long workday, I wanted to surprise the students with go-karting and dinner out. The guys opted to watch the playoff game instead, so the rest of the evening was filled with football and snacking. The team worked incredibly hard all week and will carry the marks of blisters, scrapes, torn fingernails, bruises, and sore muscles. We will probably sleep well this weekend, but I believe every student was proud of what we accomplished and grateful for the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of four families.