Jackson Academy students joined with others across the Metro area to help with flood relief efforts. Sunday, a group of students accompanied by Associate Head of Student Life Jimmy Messer, his wife April, and other parents, prepared sandbags at Christ United Methodist Church.
Students said their parents told them of the opportunity to help with flood relief early Sunday morning. “When we woke up for church Sunday morning, my parents talked to me and my brother about helping, and we all decided it would be a great thing for us to do,” said Baird Kennedy.
According to Mae Mathison, students and their families packed sandbags to go to homes that were in danger of flooding around the vicinity of the church. “We had a good system in place where one person shoveled, one held the bag, and one person tied and loaded it on the truck,” said Adams Kennedy.
“They asked us to bring shovels, so I shoveled, and Macy Messer held the bag, and my dad tied and moved the bag to the trucks that were delivering them,” said Baird.
“I enjoyed getting to help,” said Adams. “In a flooding situation, those affected have to move so quickly to get their things out of their home or try to best prepare their home. There is no way you can do it alone. Having the group we did at Christ United was great because there was a large group of us, and we could get a lot of sandbags made in a short amount of time. Just knowing the few hours we gave possibly kept someone’s home from major damage is rewarding.”
“I love to see our students volunteering. We learn so much about ourselves and others through community service. It is also an opportunity to give back to a community that means so much to our school and our families,” said Jimmy Messer.
Some students who were helping had also experienced the threat of water. “I made sandbags and took them to homes that were in danger of flooding,” said Breck Hines on Monday. “My backyard is currently underwater, but my house is not in danger of flooding.”
Students volunteering with this group were Breck Hines, Baird Kennedy, Adams Kennedy, Carter Mathison, Mae Mathison, Macy Messer, and Will Graven. If you were part of relief efforts or impacted by the flood and want to share your story, please send information to news@jacksonacademy.org.
