First Day!

For our first day, we started off bright and early and had an orientation to learn more about Habitat for Humanity and what we would be doing for the week.

After orientation, our group split into two. Mia, Ellen, and Natalie helped clean debris and restore the property of a recently flooded restaurant. Throughout the day, several community members stopped by, checked in, and offered a helping hand. The man working with them for most of the day explained how everyone knows everyone and that he has spent his life in this area. It was eye-opening to hear their stories and understand how the recent floods have affected the area from their perspectives.

The second group consisted of Aubree, Grace, Catalina, Jessica, Brandon, and Megan. To start the day, our group headed over to Bruce’s house. Bruce is a member of the community who was severely affected by flooding. We had some 4-legged company while we worked and took occasional puppy breaks! Once we cleared as much as we could, we headed back to the main hub for lunch. After lunch, our group went over to Deb’s house, the same woman who owned the restaurant we are also working at. Deb owns a second home that she uses for Air BnB that was also severely affected by the flood. Not only has the experience humbled me but has shown me that we can provide kindness and care to others even through such tragic times. The people we got to meet, including the owner of a restaurant that we helped, have shown us that disasters can bring people together. I hope to keep this lesson close to my heart as we continue our time in Kentucky.