The project seemed overwhelming in the beginning. We initially started with 8 volunteers. That quickly turned to 12. Then 29 and then 35! The Starbucks partners, community board and social media drove the numbers beyond what we ever imagined. Pizza Hut surprised us with 5 pizzas, neighbors driving by with offers of bottled waters and words of appreciation. I was touched most by one volunteer named Stanley. He is a professional photographer and resident of Forney. While walking with Stanley, he shared an emotional moment. Tearfully, he said he lost everything in the Katrina disaster and this recovery effort reminded him of his loss. However, he was mostly touched to see strangers come together to help others. He experienced the loss, but did not see the humaniterian efforts as he did today. I believe, the impact of people gathering together today was more about the human spirit than it was about the clearing of the field. The memory I left with was not of the difference we made in the area we worked. It is the difference we made in the hearts of the people that we worked side by side with. I'm also touched by the number of mothers and fathers that brought their children. The children seemed excited and proud to give back and they knew their bag of trash was changing their world.
