Yesterday, we treated the All Hands volunteers in Corpus Christi to some fun at a local Trampoline Park. Today, on Day 279, we wanted to do something special for the 80+ All Hands volunteers working to muck, gut and sanitize homes in Houston.
And what better way to show we appreciate their hard work mucking and gutting homes – their taking time away from work and family – their sleeping on cots and floors in a church basement – their commitment and positive attitudes – than a pizza party Appreciation Dinner.
So we rented George Park just down the street from the church where these amazing volunteers are staying. We brought loads of pizza, cookies, and refreshments. We even filled a little monkey pinata with candy and strung it up for a little extra party-time fun!
While everyone ate and enjoyed each other, we got to know some of these volunteers. They told us about what they’d been doing, the people they’d met and how they’d ended up there. Tony works at Medtronic in Dallas. His company gave him a week off to volunteer, “so it was a no-brainer for me to jump right in with All Hands in Houston.” Another volunteer told us, “me and my buddies were sitting around watching it all unfold on TV and we were wishing there was more we could do… and then I did.” He’s taking 1 month (!) of his vacation time to help in Houston.
A little pizza was the least we could do for this incredible group of people doing amazing work! If it helped them to feel more recognized and appreciated for what they’re doing, then we accomplished our goal.
