Holy Family Parish mission trip helps rebuild in Georgia
Prairie du Chien adults and youth made the trip to Georgia earlier this summer to help rebuild from the devastating Hurricane Helene, which ripped through the southeastern coast of the United States in the fall of 2024. (Photos submitted by Mary Stoeffler)
Participants on the trip contributed to rebuilding efforts by painting, putting up drywall, demolition work and landscaping.
By Steve Van Kooten
Three states and six countries took a drubbing from Hurricane Helene between Sept. 24 and 29 this past year. By the end, the category 4 storm killed 252 people and injured more than 100.
Once the 140 m.p.h. winds dissipated, Helene had caused more than $78 billion in damage, leaving many people homeless throughout the United States, including Georgia.
"They weren't a direct hit by Hurricane Helene, but they were on the cusp and got a lot of residue. So, there was a lot of cleanup to do there and a lot of poverty as well," said Mary Stoeffler.
Each year, Stoeffler heads a mission trip to assist in disaster relief or other hardships. In 2023, the kids and their chaperones went to Kentucky, and this past year, they ventured all the way to Fort Myers, Fla., to help clean up after a devastating tornado.
The mission trip, which is sponsored by the Holy Family Parish in Prairie du Chien, included 49 people this year, 20 of whom were first-time participants. They left Bloomington on July 11, traveling 21 hours by bus to Georgia for a week of landscape work, remodeling, and cleanup, and returned on July 19.
"Just to watch the kids take it all in is amazing," said Stoeffler.
Many organizations have contributed to the rebuilding work in Augusta, Ga., including the United Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, and Presbyterian USA churches; the American Red Cross; the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR); and Catholic Charities.
Stoeffler said they teamed with UMCOR, which helps coordinate the rebuilding effort.
"They provide all of the materials, and we provide the labor," she said. "At one point, they had seven job sites going at the same time. They divided us all up, so I felt this year we really made a mark."
One of the most surprising aspects of the trip was seeing the homeowners' reactions to their situation and the extent of the damage the storm caused.
"They're expecting the homeowner to come in and just be devastated. I know in the two examples in which the homeowner came to us, all we saw was their joy.
"How do you see that storm, and then, when everything is clear, you see that you've lost everything and how much work there is to it?" asked Stoeffler.
She recalled one family's traumatic experience during the storm. "One of the houses that I worked on had a family of seven living there, and the roof caved in on their great grandma. It just missed her."
Another task included helping victims downsize their possessions during the cleanup process.
"In this area, they know how fleeting it is, so they attach to their material things. A lot of that was trying to break away from it a little bit and get rid of some stuff for that remodel to occur," said Stoeffler.
The traumatic events residents and families endured during the storm are part of the kids' experience, too. Some people have homes that are in need of repairs, but others have to construct new houses or totally gut what remains of their property.
"The biggest project [the kids] worked on was a house that was just a disaster; it had to be reinsulated, a lot of gut work. A lot of our kids had to take turns in the attic because they had to wear Hazmat suits in the house. About every five minutes they'd trade people in and out because they were trying to get the attic done," said Stoeffler.
And the reality is that help doesn't swoop in overnight. Help can take months to reach the people who need it.
Storm relief and recovery efforts are not a quick process. People that lose their possessions and their homes may not see substantial relief for several months after the disaster has come and wreaked havoc.
"It's usually six months before they can come in with insurance and everything, so, in a lot of places, people are out of their homes for a year to a year and a half," said Stoeffler.
The parish's mission trips inspire people to make the cross-country journey. Some of them bring useful knowledge and skills, while others have the eagerness to learn and to add the helping hand victims need.
"I am very blessed. I do have five or six kids in college or chaperones that work in construction, so they have a lot of knowledge that way, but, in most cases, they have a construction guy there who will give them details and explain what needs to be done," said Stoeffler.
But everyone who goes, regardless of ability, gains memories, new friendships, and experiences that will serve them forever.
"Kids have learned such skills," she said. “These are skills that will last a lifetime.”
