Greencastle natives spend spring break in service of Tennessee wildfire victims

VINCENNES — There were no spring break beaches for six Vincennes University students last month. Instead they chose to dig holes and carry heavy construction materials. And they wouldn’t have had it any other way.

In a trip organized by the VU Christian Campus Fellowship, the four students headed to to Gatlinburg, Tenn., where they began work to rebuild a home that was lost in the Nov. 28 wildfires.

Coordinated by Helping His Hands Disaster Relief in Vincennes, the VU students more than met the challenge.

Among those answering the call to service was Greencastle native Alyssa Villanueva.

“Using unskilled labor, the group completed a project that was supposed to take several weeks and finished it in less than six days. They worked from sun up to sun down,” said Preston Ratliff, campus minister of CCF.

“To hear that the lady lost everything in the fire, it really got to me, so I really wanted to help out in any way I possibly could,” said Tanisha Collins, a VU Business Administration major from Greensburg. “When we arrived there was just a concrete slab. We had to dig out six-inch concrete squares for bars that will hold up the first floor. We had to do that by hand. We had to dig holes put up footers and we had to hold things, measure things, and clean out things. We helped with the forms for the walls that were really heavy.”

Despite the hard work, Collins said what made it worth it was the response of the homeowner. “She was such a sweet lady. Just about every time she came to visit us she cried in appreciation. We went out to dinner and she was telling us all kinds of stories about her house and how much she appreciated it.”

According to Ratliff, the homeowner, Susan, told him that she saw the fire coming by the time firefighters ordered her to evacuate, leaving little time for her and her son to grab a few items before they left. Their home, along with her neighbors’, were totally destroyed, forcing them to move to a small trailer.

Freshman Camon Landry from Nashville, Ind., a Law Enforcement major, said this was his first mission trip but it will not be his last.

“It was awesome to help her, to be able to see her face light up when she first got there to see this actually happening. It is one thing to hear about it and another thing to see it. There aren’t any words to describe it,” Landry said.

“I was an all-hands-on-deck kind of worker. Anything they needed help with I was willing to jump in, such as digging, carrying the heavy stuff, and setting up the forms for the flooring and walls,” Landry said.

Villanueva, who will graduate in December with a degree in Child Development, said she volunteered because she was “raised that it

is important to give back.”

“This kind of mission helps students get involved in their community and learn the importance of helping others. In today’s society it is a lot about just worrying about yourself,” Villanueva said.

In addition to the mission trip, she also has helped build a homeless shelter and worked several times at the Helping His Hands Food Pantry.

“It made me feel good - like I was actually making a difference. Susan seemed really appreciative of what everyone was doing for her. There is always a way to give back to people and there is always someone who needs help,” Villanueva said.

Helping His Hands is organizing additional mission trips this summer to help complete Susan’s home, with church groups helping during the interval.

“The tears of joy that were shed made all the work enjoyable and full of purpose,” Ratliff said. The goal is to complete the home in August.

Both Collins and Landry said they have family members living near Gatlinburg, making this mission trip even more personal for them. The group stayed at a nearby church during the week.

With plans to transfer from VU to Indiana State University to pursue a degree in Project Management, Collins said the mission trip was a good learning experience for her. “Because organizers knew this was my career goal, they let me do all the paperwork and keep track of the inventory. This made me feel like I chose the right field because I really enjoyed it,” Collins said.

Calling the mission a success, Villanueva said, “We made a good team and got a lot done in a short time.”

Other VU students who participated on the mission trip included Mariah Shipman, Vincennes; Alyssa Deckard, Bloomington; and Alexis Duell, Greencastle.