YOUNG VOLUNTEERS HELP REBUILD LOCAL HOMES

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

CROCKETT – We all remember the EF-2 tornado that touched down just north of Crockett on March 22 of this year. Downed trees, business gone, and somehow, almost everyone survived.

The cleanup is still far from finished, especially for those with damages to homes and fences. For one Crockett resident, help came in the form of a half dozen teenagers from the Houston area who gave up a week of their summer break to come and help rebuild parts of several damaged homes in the area. These teenagers are part of what is known as the United Methodist Army. (UMA)

The UMA began in 1979 in Athens Texas as a youth retreat where young people helped rebuild the homes of people in need. It now has more than 30 separate missions throughout East Texas and Louisiana, with over 3,500 youth and adult volunteers annually.

Ron Darcy is a sites coordinator for the UMA, and has worked as a volunteer for the organization for more than 15 years. The group will be in town for the week and is “camping” at First United Methodist Church, which offered to host the group for the week and giving the kids the opportunity to work and help our community. Darcy and the young people are filling up the rooms with volunteers, sleeping on the floors, and enjoying every minute of it.

This week one of the 11 groups working in the area was just north of the Loop 304 working to help at a home where the owner has a service dog. Since the tornado, the fence in the owner’s back yard was damaged and the dog has been “working” and unable to rest or take time off. Darcy and the group are working to replace the fence.

“All these kids pay to come and work hard. We are replacing the fence, and it’s hot. The dog’s name is Cody and he has not been able to be out of his vest for a while. When the owner gets unsteady on her feet, Cody leans into her to steady her,” Darcy commented.

The team is also working at the home to rebuild a deck in order to provide the owner with a wheelchair ramp in the front of the home. The group hopes to finish around 20 projects in the area before the week is over. The number of youth assigned to each group depends on the amount of work that needs to be done.

The young people in this group, mostly high school age from around the Houston area, are eager to help, work and talk about their experience. They say that volunteering gets them out of the house, and gives them something worthwhile to do.

“Sometimes I am at home, doing nothing, or sitting on the computer,” said Lance Collins, a junior in high school and fourth year volunteer in the group. “It’s inspiring to help people and to be kind to them.”

As the young people take a short break under the shade of a nearby tree, they put down their axes and shovels and share their pride in this program and the good they are doing.

Abby Coogle is a sophomore from the Cypress area who is spending her third year as part of the United Methodist Army. She believes if more young people tried donating their time, they might find they enjoy it.

“They probably haven’t done it themselves, and if they did, they would probably enjoy it,” Coogle said. “I enjoy working and helping people. It’s a blessing to see people’s reaction once the work is finished.”

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected].