Cedarville University students use fall break to aide Hurricane Harvey victims

CEDARVILLE — Thirty Cedarville University students are in Houston to provide relief for those devastated by Hurricane Harvey.

Using their fall break to give back, the students are in Houston for one week, in which they left their campus on Oct. 14 and will return on Oct. 21.

RELATED: Month after Harvey, debris piles show recovery takes time

The students have partnered with Northeast Houston Baptist Church at Farrington Mission in repairing damages caused by flooding, as well as strengthening Farrington Mission’s ongoing ministries, which include a large food pantry, clothing closet, men’s basketball ministry and pregnancy resource clinic.

Texas native and sophomore nursing major, Isabella Bierman, believes the trip is fulfilling in more ways than one.

“This experience connects everything that I hold dear about nursing. Physically helping people in their time of need, when they can’t do it for themselves fully”, said Biermann.

RELATED: Hurricane Harvey recovery: Cedarville sending 30 students to Houston 

According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Harvey made landfall Aug. 25 and dropped 40 to 61 inches of rain in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana to set all-time U.S. tropical cyclone rain records. There were also 77 confirmed fatalities.

“We want to respond to these situations with the compassion of Christ,” said Brian Nester, Director of Global Outreach at Cedarville. “When Christ saw a need, he sought to meet the need. When people are in dire straits, we need to meet those needs as much as possible.”

RELATED: Dayton Interactive Radar - WHIO Doppler 7

Cedarville established a relief fund to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma when the natural disasters first occurred. The fund also covered the cost for the students to participate in the trip, as well as finance other hurricane relief efforts.

The university strives to continue relief efforts by exploring plans to send two additional teams of students to  Florida and the Dominican Republic in the fall to help people affected by Hurricane Irma.