Over President’s Day weekend, February 15-17, 38 student members of the Shawnee Mission North Coalition and 6 adult chaperones traveled to Moore, OK, for a volunteer trip.  Last spring, Moore, OK, and many surrounding areas were devastated by tornadoes.

Students stayed very busy throughout the trip.  While in Moore and the surrounding areas, students prepared a yard for sod for a family that had lost almost everything in the tornado, cleared debris and evened land in two neighborhood properties, cleared metal and wood debris from a rural property, built two sheds, packed 6,424 pounds of food at a local food bank, served lunch to the homeless in downtown Oklahoma City, helped clear a wooded area for an animal shelter, laundered and cleaned many areas of the animal shelter, and walked/socialized with the animals of the animal shelter.  As a part of the trip, students also visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing.

The SMN Coalition is a group that understands that helping each other is a part of who we should be as humans, so where we see there is a place we can help, we help.  This is the fourth trip the SMN Coalition has taken starting in 2010 in Greensburg (18 students), 2012 in Joplin with SMNW’s Coalition (20 total students), and 2013 in Joplin (24 students).

The trip was made possible by Langley Construction, Trendstone LLC., Hy-Vee, and the SMN PTSA.