by Arnav Kumar | Apr 3, 2018 | News
Floods took over the coast of Houston on Aug. 25. Nine days of heavy rainfall and 130 mph winds left the coast of Texas in shambles. Over 200,000 students were out of school because of cancellations. Most schools were turned into shelters, and their staff turned into rescue teams. After news surfaced of the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey, local Loudoun resident Jeff Shi made the decision to step up and do everything he could to help the people of Houston.
The @SR4Houston Facebook page was born, and the response was overwhelming. Their goal was to connect with churches in Houston and provide relief for those who were suffering.
Businesses all over South Riding, such as Topkick, Kiddie Academy, Jhovanna Hair Salon and many more joined the effort. Able Moving & Storage provided a 53 foot tractor trailer, and filling it with donations became the number one goal of the hundreds of volunteers from the area. Many of the schools in South Riding, including FHS, held donation drives in hopes to help the residents of Houston.
“It just seemed like a natural idea to help out,” SCA treasurer Katy Stefano said.
SCA announced the drive via Twitter, and students were eager to bring in their donations throughout the next week.
“I came in early to set up the boxes [on the first day], and I was like ‘No one’s going to come,’” Stefano said.
But to her surprise, students with bags full of clothes, school supplies, canned foods and so much more were rushing through the door Friday morning.
“More people were bringing [donations] in faster than I could set up the actual boxes. It was just very inspiring,” Stefano said. “We’ve had buses and trucks come to pick up some of the [donations] because we have so much stuff here. It’s a great thing to have.”
As the week went on, boxes became bigger, and donations began to get heavier. For many students, it was important to go out of their way and give to those in need, including sophomore Rebecca O’Connor.
“We have so much, and the people that were affected by Hurricane Harvey lost pretty much everything, so [donating] was the least I could do,” O’Connor said.
“A lot of people [were] being really generous,” SCA historian Nathan Tiong said. By Sept. 15, the donations that FHS gave were serving the people of Houston.
“[Donating] is a way to make a positive impact without putting yourself in danger,” Stefano said. “Something could easily happen to us. If we were in a time of need, I think others would help us, too.”
SCA will continue to do more fundraisers throughout the year to help others who are also in need. Approximately 30,000 people are still left without homes and need temporary shelter. However, the selflessness expressed by the FHS community through the donation drive will go on to help rebuild many of the lives that were impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
by Arnav Kumar | Apr 3, 2018 | News
Volunteering opportunities are available throughout our community, and those who choose to set aside time to fulfill these opportunities are motivated by different incentives. Some volunteer in order to stand out and be seen as admirable to universities and college boards, while others volunteer to give back to their community or important causes.
Freedom High School seniors Jack Tapley, Kathryn Francis and Virginia Campbell volunteer at the Nalani Horse Recovery and choose to spend hours working with the horses because they value their community’s well-being.
The students are responsible for different jobs at the horse rescue, including feeding the horses, riding the horses or helping with fundraisers. Their contributions to Nalani are much appreciated. While each individual student has a different reason for volunteering at Nalani, they all want to make a difference.
The Nalani Horse Recovery is a nonprofit organization founded by Cherry Tapley, mother of Jack Tapley, and located at Ohana Equestrian Preserve in Loudoun County. The goal of the organization is to rehabilitate and find homes for horses in need. Often times, the horses brought to Nalani have been mistreated and/or abused in the past, affecting both the physical and mental state of the animals.
“[The horses] usually come to us with some sort of injury or mental issue because of how they’ve been treated,” Cherry Tapley said. “We have trainers work with them and figure out what they can do so that they can go on and have a safe forever home.”
Alongside his mother, Jack Tapley volunteers with fundraisers regarding Nalani as well, and finds ways to help wherever he can.
“She had one big fundraiser last year called Bow Ties and Boots, it’s coming up soon and it’s basically a big party,” Jack Tapley said. “Last year it was at my house so I helped wait on people, but right now I’m working on coordinating and getting other people to volunteer. ”
While Jack is helping with fundraising and getting others involved in the organization, Francis can be found working with the horses of Nalani. Due to her vast experience around horses, she has become comfortable working with them.
“They have given so much to me, so I thought by volunteering at a rescue I could give back to them, and give them the opportunity of life,” Francis said.
Francis was responsible for feeding and grooming the horses, and occasionally exercise riding. Due to the close interactions made between the rider and the horse, riding was one of the primary ways the horses gained trust and comfort around people. Helping the horses grow and flourish mentally and physically not only benefited the horses, but Francis as well.
“I think [volunteering has] made me a lot happier…” Francis said. “I just love being around the horses [and] getting to spend time with them.”
Volunteering can not only change the lives of those who are being helped, volunteering can change the lives of the volunteers as well. Francis and her experience serve as an example of how serving others can benefit everyone involved in the act.
Campbell began volunteering at Nalani during the organization’s early stages in September of 2016.
“When I started working there Nalani only had one rescue horse, and since then they’ve grown in size with horses and people,” Campbell said.
Due to the work of the volunteers and employees of Nalani the organization was able to rescue several other horses in the past year.
“I think it’s good to help support the causes that you believe and give some of your time to something that helps others,” Campbell said.
The hours and effort put into Nalani by our peers helped change the lives of the horses rescued, and benefitted the improvement of the organization in the long run. These students are taking time out of their busy schedules to better their society and to better the lives of these animals. By volunteering at Nalani, each one of the students has made a positive impact on our community, and on themselves.
“Something I would want you to know is that we want every experience for these horses and for our volunteers to be positive,” Cherry Tapley said.
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