Every now and then we may witness events occurring in our surroundings that help us put our own lives in perspective. As many of you may know, I'm from Birmingham, AL, and in April tornadoes ripped through the city ravishing entire neighborhoods and leaving many without homes, food, clothing, transportation and more. I was at home with my family hunkered down near the basement when they occurred, and the sound of the wind outside was to say the least, frightening. My home was untouched. I was relieved and very grateful. However, news soon came of the devastation, and my buoyant emotion quickly deflated into sadness at what I saw before my eyes. Picture children's clothes and bottles, remnants of glasses and plates, people's personal belongings strewn on streets for miles...rooftops dissassembled on the ground. If I felt emotionally dishoveled from what I saw, can you imagine how the people who were directly affected felt?
Like many Alabamians and citizens nationwide, I was compelled to do SOMETHING to help. Honestly, I didn't know where to start and I didn't want to just give money. I wanted to DO something. So, I turned to Facebook, posting questions about what agencies were doing to help and how I could be a part. There were many suggestions that poured in signifying that there are many wonderful helping hearts in the world. Among the suggestions, I came across an agency called HandsOnBirmingham.org. They had organized different action teams ranging from debris clean up to donation organization to disaster relief centers. That is how I came to volunteer at the Pratt City Disaster Relief Center. There were different rooms set up, each containing a different set of items and services for the individuals affected by the storms. There was a room with nothing but baby items, another with nothing but women's clothes and shoes, another for men's shoes and clothes, another for food distribution (which is where I participated), one for children's toys, and countless others for intangibles like healthcare, job and school transporation, etc. It was comforting to see how many individuals and companies were willing to spring into action to help others. During my time there, I met some very inspiring individuals, but my most memorable conversation was with Ms. Terry whom I worked alongside in the kitchen. I learned of Ms. Terry's large family and her journey to raise 6 children as a single mom. Ms. Terry said she spends all her free time volunteering with the missionary ministry of her church. Her reasons were as simple as this " I have been given soo much help in my life, that I have to give help to others." That simple statement made a world of sense to me.
As you can see, I got a chance to talk to Pastor Eric Harris, Pastor Rick Housley, Ms. Helen and Ms. Regina, all of whom spearheaded the efforts at the Pratt City Disaster Relief Center. Thanks for reading/watching, and do something today or tomorrow or the next day to give back!! If you'd like to help and get involved you can visit http://www.redcross.org/ , http://www.handsonbirmingham.org/ , or http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/ for more information on how to volunteer.
*For the sake of the privacy of those affected, I do not exhibit video footage of volunteers in action*
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