ROTTERDAM JUNCTION—Hurricane Irene caused millions of dollars of damage in our area, in August 2011. One community that is still devastated and trying to put their lives back together is Rotterdam Junction, just 30 minutes away from Galway. Wednesday, April 25^th, a group of volunteers comprised of high school students and faculty, traveled to Rotterdam to help Habitat for Humanity.

Why did you get involved?

Mrs. Colby: I appreciate all humanitarian efforts and was excited to hear that they needed a nurse to go along!

Garrett Crawford: I got involved because I enjoy the feeling of work. These people need help and also, why not help them?

Jennica Nash: Well I did it last year, and I saw how devastating thing were to people and I wanted to help out.

Krystal Defibaugh: I wanted to help out, that was the main thing.

Josh Bailey: I just wanted to help. I play soccer with kids who live in the towns that got hit.

Mr. Marc: I was asked by Mr. Berry if I would participate and help organize.

Grace Milton: Community service. I always wanted to do it; my cousin did it in Chile.

Matt Conti: For community service.

Christian Wilday: I like to help people.

Katie Zawisa: I enjoy helping others who need it.

Mr. Bednarek:  Mr. Berry invited me to attend the project on the day that the high school students went because he attended with the junior high.  I was excited to have the chance to work with students in a different setting and to have my first experience with Habitat for Humanity.  I have always respected what I know of this groups work but I have even more positive feelings toward their efforts after having gotten involved.

What was your job yesterday?

Mrs. Colby: I worked along with a group of four students and Mrs. Austro, our bus driver.  We cleared brush, raked lawns, spread mulch, and planted flowers.  Fortunately, there were no injuries requiring medical attention.

Garrett Crawford: I was leveling out ground for a house. After lunch I helped pick up debris across the road at other houses.

Jennica Nash: I helped to make a foundation. There was clay, we had to shovel it in a wheelbarrow, and then level it out on the ground. Then we found a cylinder that the boys filled with water and helped level it out.

Krystal Defibaugh: I did a lot. I did gardening, cleaned up leaves, sorted through debris, spread mulch, did mostly landscaping.

Josh Bailey: I was moving dirt—I shoveled it into a wheelbarrow and dumped it wherever it needed to be dumped. I moved rocks and filled holes too.

Mr. Marc: I was a facilitator.  I drove around delivering needed materials and tools while helping out groups complete their tasks.

Grace Milton: I worked with people, we raked lawns and planted flowers.

Matt Conti: Raking

Christian Wilday: Level out a lawn and put down top soil for seeding.

Katie Zawisa: Filled holes that were in the ground and leveled it.

Mr. Bednarek: I worked with a crew of 4 students in the morning to clean up the front yards of a number of houses on the main street in Rotterdam Junction.  There was still a significant amount of work to be done inside these houses but we raked the yards, swept the sidewalks, weeded the gardens and added mulch – we also added some flowers.  Just this “small” change made a big difference to the overall appearance of the house and even though it didn’t end the challenges for those who live there, we hope it will be an improvement that lifts spirits and motivates others for the ongoing work.  In the afternoon I tackled a large backyard with about 15 students – we sorted through trash of all kinds including old bottles and cans and raked lots of decomposing leaves.  We moved a pile of bricks and filled in a large ditch.  Loads of trash were delivered to a very full dumpster and we nearly finished off the entire area around this house.

What did you accomplish by the end of the day?

Mrs. Colby: We completed 6 front yards and assisted other groups with clean up.

Garrett Crawford: I accomplished nothing really, just speed up the work for the people that help all day.

Jennica Nash: we got the whole foundation done, I believe.

Krystal Defibaugh: We completely transformed one person’s backyard, it looked completely different.  We also transformed a bunch of front yards too.

Josh Bailey: A lot. The group I was with, we cleaned up one big yard.

Mr. Marc: We had cleaned and leveled about 6 home’s yards to prepare them for grass seed, removed the garbage and placed in dumpster, spread mulch at one house, delivered donated materials to storage area, handed out lunches to students

Grace Milton: We made a few houses look cleaner, on the front lawn. We worked on somebody’s backyard and got garbage out of it.

Matt Conti: I accomplished cleaning many people’s yards, and it made the city a little bit nicer.

Christian Wilday: Leveling out the lawn.

Katie Zawisa: Shoveled at least 50 wheelbarrows of dirt.

Mr. Bednarek: Just my crew was responsible for improving the yards of 4 homes.  We did the kind of work that would take an individual many, many hours but with a large number of people working together  – was accomplished in one day.

What was the best part of the day?

Mrs. Colby: The best part of the day was meeting community members that came out to chat with us.  Everyone was appreciative of our efforts.  As we passed the homes we worked on our way home, it was gratifying to see the improved neatness.  There is still so much to be done.  Our extra hands were certainly appreciated!

Garrett Crawford: The best part of the day would have to be picking up and smashing debris.

Jennica Nash: When Ariann, Katee, Alicia and I were throwing worms at each other!

Krystal Defibaugh: It made me feel good by the end of the day. We also had a leaf fight towards the end of the day which was fun.

Josh Bailey: The best part was leaving because moving dirt sucks.

Mr. Marc: The end of the day when all participants looked back at what they had accomplished.  The gratitude from the home owners was also a great motivator.

Grace Milton: Probably seeing the people’s faces and seeing them when they saw what we did.

Matt Conti: Seeing the look on people’s faces after cleaning their yards.

Christian Wilday: Lunch.

Katie Zawisa: Lunch.

Mr. Bednarek: The best part of the day was seeing the progress that we were able to make – having that “before & after” picture in your mind – and listening to the other workers and residents who were excited and encouraged by the efforts we made.  It felt good to give them a bit of a “boost” in their overall effort.  I loved having the chance to work our students.  Seeing them throw their best effort at some tough tasks was a lot of fun.  Cody Gibbins wore me out with a shovel and rake!

Photos taken by EMC3 staffer, Jennica Nash