Get up, we gotta go!â shouted my sister. We were going to spend the day in Oklahoma to help the victims of the tornado. We were going to help people, strangers we never met, who lost their homes and provide relief with whatever they needed. We left the house enthusiastic about starting our day. We drove to my school, Yavneh Academy, where we met a group of students. After we davened Shacharit, we piled thirty students into 7 vans, all excited for our 3-hour trip to Oklahoma. Our drive consisted of talking, listening to music, designing caps and watching a movie.
We finally arrived to the Absentee Shawnee Tribe Resource Center where they gave us non-perishable items, water bottles, diapers, and so much more to dispense and give to the people who needed them the most. We drove out to a neighborhood that was completely ruined by the tornado; all we could see was the foundation of houses, nothing else. I felt as if there was no hope. Everything was scattered; cars were in the middle of living rooms and in trees, rooms were a mess, kitchens were cut in half, and so much more that was unbelievable to see. What you see on the news is nothing compared to truly experiencing it yourself. The fact that I live at driving distance from where it all happened really shook me up.
We drove by the neighborhood to a nearby church to give them the cans that were given to us earlier in the day. I spoke to a nice man who helped us unload the trunk full of cans. He told me that he was overjoyed and shocked at the help Oklahoma was receiving from people pouring in from all over the country. I felt happy that we were actually doing something for others and not just waiting to hear news about it, it made me feel like a better person. After we finished unloading the cans, he expressed his thanks and we parted ways, as there was much to be done.
Valerie and her fellow NCSYers shoveled debris in Moore, Oklahoma, after the devastating tornado destroyed 17 miles in 40 short minutes.
We drove back to the destroyed neighborhood and began to work. We grabbed work gloves and shovels, and we began scooping trash, picking up wood and bricks and putting them into different piles. As I was gathering the wreckage into a bucket, I found a picture of a girl, and a miniature Iron Man toy. I suddenly had knots in my throat and I tried not to cry. That is when it really hit me; it made me realize that all the things you love or take for granted could be there one second and gone the next.
This experience made me really appreciate what I have, clothes, food, family, friends, and a roof above my head. I am really glad to have gone on this trip because it opened my eyes to what is really out there and how people are living. It made me realize that I should not take things for granted and that we should appreciate the life Hashem gives us every day.