Home is Where the Heart is

As I sit in my warm, dry house in Marion this September evening, I can’t help but think of

How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Grinch’s heart grew three sizes when he saw The Who’s

come together around their Christmas tree. This weekend, we all gathered around the Five

Seasons tree, figuratively speaking. When the announcement was made last Thursday that we

would be getting out from school early to help aid the city of Cedar Rapids, I was worried about

the numbers. Were Xavier kids selfless enough to sacrifice their Friday afternoon to help people

they didn’t know? The answer turned out to be an astounding yes.

I raced out of school Friday afternoon and into my car. I looked around at my classmates,

hoping I wasn’t the only one about to tackle the biggest service project of my high school career.

At 11:30 I arrived downtown, along with some friends. The traffic was insane. Here we were

downtown, with no information as to what we were getting ourselves into. There was hardly a

parking spot in sight. All you could see was chaos. People shoving sand into bags as quickly as

possible, forklifts moving bags, people putting up plastic, moving things out of buildings, piling

sandbags on top of sandbags. Of course, there were times I couldn’t manage to get my show

choir/cheerleader muscles to lift boxes and tables out of houses. Every single time, there was

someone on my side, asking me if I needed help, offering an encouraging smile, and even

telling me how grateful they were that I was there. How great is our community?

Friday came and went. Saturday and Sunday involved the same work ethic, selflessness,

and kindness as the previous days. Palo, NewBo, Czech Village, Ellis, locally owned

businesses, and city landmarks were covered in people. The “Fifth season in Cedar Rapids” this

weekend, was love of community. Every heart in the Cedar Rapids area grew this weekend,

whether you were volunteering or needing help. I’m so thankful for the opportunity I received to

help my city, the city who shaped me into who I am. You can think you didn’t miss anything by

not helping out, but you missed being a part of the great place we call home. The flood of 2016

won’t steal the heart of our community.

floodhelp

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