A debris pile in front of a Rockport home, that’s only been getting bigger since Hurricane Harvey hit 18 months ago, is now gone thanks to some North Texas high school students.
“We could never find anyone to come haul it off,” homeowner Alvin Fuentes said. “Little by little it became a dumping ground.”
On Tuesday, around a dozen students from high schools in Garland ISD, northeast of Dallas, loaded the debris into trailers to be hauled away. They sacrificed part of their Spring Breaks to volunteer in the Coastal Bend over the past several days.
For some of them it’s their second straight year to do so.
“I gave up both Spring Breaks to spread the word of Jesus and just serve, because I love serving so much,” Lakeview Centennial High School Senior Ashley Eckert said.
“I love trying to do something nice for somebody else, because I would love for somebody to do something nice for me,” Garland High School Senior Christopher Ferris said.
Those students were part of a larger group of 42 high schoolers and their chaperones from the First Baptist Church of Garland. The non-profit group, Rockport Hands of Hope, found them a number of Hurricane Harvey-recovery projects that they completed during their time in the area.
“We gave up our Spring Break to bring 42 students and adults to come down to Rockport to help rebuild it,” chaperone Kelli Mabra said.
Harvey-victims like Fuentes couldn’t be happier that they came.
“I’m grateful for all their help,” Fuentes said. “They did an awesome job.”
