Simple Victories: Our Realizations About Ourselves While Helping Others

The Royal Oak High School Interact club, led by teacher Steve Chisnell, is in the Birmingham, AL, area this week for disaster relief work after January’s tornadoes:

Clothing recovery project a success

Earlier on in the trip we went to a home one of the tornadoes went right through, literally. Everything the family had was destroyed. Clothes were under pounds of dirt, and refrigerators were tipped over far away from where we were supposed to be. Walls were soaked from recent rains and were starting to disintegrate under mounds of soil.

I took it upon myself to find every article of clothing and get the items in one particular spot, just to keep track of. I thought to myself, “ If this was my home, I would be frantically looking for my clothes.” At the work site I was digging up clothes left and right, and hanging them on trees to let the rotting smell air out. My friend pulled out a mattress that was upside down and dragged it over so I could put the clothes on it. I started to lay the clothes flat and soon I noticed other people were helping me; I didn’t even realize the project I had begun. Another girl, Katie Kothe, was my right hand man.

After sorting for an hour we couldn’t stop talking about how we just wanted to wash these clothes because we knew the family couldn’t afford to buy brand new clothes. Bam! An idea pops into my mind. Let’s wash the clothes for them! If everyone gave a buck or two, between 80 people we could wash and dry the family’s clothes.

I asked Mr. Chisnell what he thought. He said we had the money to wash the clothes without our personal  donations. I was shocked! We might actually get the project done! After spending the afternoon sorting wet, filthy, tornado-stricken clothes, we sorted and packed 16 garbage bags full of whites, jeans and towels, delicates, and heavies. I thought to myself, ‘My mom would be proud that I’ve actually learned something from her cleaning frenzies.” 

Having strong boys help me load these wet, smelly bags onto the bus, we brought them back to the camp, but they stayed in the bus for two days. Today, Day 4, Ms. Pollis took me, Katie, and a few other girls to the laundry mat, and we were able to do something that I never thought we could do from my idea. After many loads, and many pairs of gloves, we were able to do over 20 cycles of laundry for a very deserving family. It took the whole day, but was more than rewarding to see a family have to struggle a little less.  

Before now I thought clothes were some of my most important belongings. Looking back today, day 4, I realize that is no longer the case. 

– Kelsey Jolly, senior

Teacher learns a few things on trip

Checking in back home after our day today, my wife asked, “Are you ready to come home?” Without even thinking I responded, “No.  We’re not done yet.”  That’s what happens here.  We know we have a job to do and we can’t think of anything else while we are looking at the work at hand.  It has been a long week, but we still have one day ahead of us.  And it will not be an easy day.

It is heartbreaking to see the devastation, emotional to hear the stories of the homeowners, frustrating to have to wait to find a worksite, and tiring when we’re hungry. But being here in Alabama is also incredibly inspirational. 

The inspiration comes when I see the students doing work that is bigger than themselves.  So many students have caught my eye this week. The majority of them I had never met. But we know each other now, very well. Eric has been a great team player and go-getter but he also knows when he needs to do something himself: “Conrad, that wall is mine.”  “Then get over here and get to it!”  Watching Kelley work through an emotional couple of days and coming out on the positive side today was great for her:  “I’m having a great day!  I just got to help destroy the deck!”   Meeting AJ, talking with him at great length, and learning of his strong desire to work as a nurse naturally led him to become the go-to-guy for all minor scrapes and cuts:  “AJ!  We need first aid!”  “Conrad! Coming!” Learning that John really needed and wanted physical work that tested his abilities, I told him he would be my guy when we needed demolition.  Today was his day: “Conrad, you didn’t let me down.”   And none of them have let me down.

The days of the week have started to run together.  I have been on seven worksites this week and Monday seems like a month ago.  Meeting Gale at her home on Monday morning at our first site was incredible. 

But what was even more incredible was pulling up to our campsite tonight after another long day of work and seeing her there.  She drove from her home, some 45 minutes away, trekked through the winding roads and hills of Alabama to find our Boy Scout campground to deliver a giant sheet cake to the crew as a thank you.  As she said on Monday after shaking hands with one or two of the volunteers, “I’m from Alabama and I don’t shake hands with anybody!”  She proceeded to grab me for the first in what would be about 30 more hugs.  And as she stepped out of her car tonight, the ritual repeated itself.  And again, when she said goodbye. 

While that was a wonderful end to this day, and a great memory to hold on to, we still have one more day.  And we know that it will be just as hard as the last four.  And it will be just as rewarding as the last four.  And then, and only then, will we have finished our work here and head home. 

– Mike Conrad, Teacher, ROHS