When Hurricanes Helene and Milton battered Central Florida and beyond within just two weeks this fall, the Rotaract Club at Florida Polytechnic University sprang into action.
With a motto of “Service above self,” the student leadership and community service organization quickly voted to contribute $500 toward hurricane relief efforts. And when they heard that the residents of a nearby senior community were unable to clean up their storm-damaged homes on their own, they stepped up to lend a hand.
“It was all mobile homes, and it definitely had been flooded,” said Bryon Catlin, the club’s president and a senior majoring in computer engineering. “A lot of the areas under houses were covered in a cardboard-like material and we had to cut that out to make sure it didn’t mold up.”
The students’ volunteer work at the Light and Life Park community in Lakeland, Florida, also included cutting out insulation, removing damaged furniture, and ensuring that residents were able to see everything that had been flooded.
“In one house we had to gut the entire flooring, and it was awful for the lady who lived there to see and hear about it, but I knew it saved her time and effort,” Catlin said. “Most of the people there don’t have the ability physically and financially to do that.”
The same day as the hurricane assistance, the club had already planned an adopt-a-road clean-up effort, removing litter and other debris from Research Way, which borders the Florida Poly campus. Once they finished the task, the students headed to the senior community to continue working.
“It was really great to see the impact we made directly on the community and be able to actually give back and give help,” Catlin said.
The Rotary District 6890, which represents West-Central Florida, matched the Florida Poly club’s $500 donation to assist in helping the region’s hurricane recovery efforts.
“We’re really happy the funds can go further now to help those who need it,” Catlin said.
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Lydia Guzmán
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