Dobie's seniors show Longhorn pride with Ktrena Ealy, homeowner of one of the six homes students worked on as part of the senior community project.
By: Jade Wise
Pasadena ISD Communications
Seniors from Dobie’s Class of 2018 spent their Friday repairing and repainting the exterior of six homes in the South Belt area as part of the Longhorns annual senior community project, sponsored by Sagemont Church’s Helping Hands.
For Ktrena Ealy, a former teacher at Burnett Elementary, Dobie High School’s Seniors Helping Seniors program could not have come at a better time for her and her family.
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| A Dobie senior paints a garage during the campus's senior community project day. |
Eight months after Hurricane Harvey forced her to swim to safety, she is finally back home. While she is glad to be back, she says that her home still needs a lot of work.
“When they first came and told me the students were coming, I began to cry,” said Ealy. “I was trying to figure out how I was selected and my daughter told me, ‘Mom, you’ve taught most of the kids who are graduating this year at Dobie, so there are so many people who could have put your name in.’”
Jim Sawyer, one of the coordinators and a retired vocational teacher at Dobie, said that this year’s project has an extra layer of importance due to Hurricane Harvey.
“At most of the houses we are at today, the homeowners are just now getting back into their homes and are still working to get the inside of their houses completed,” said Sawyer. “By us coming and helping with the outside, it’s just one less thing they have to worry about.”
For students, Sawyer says that the project creates some great teaching moments about general home repair and about the value of giving back to the community.
“One day, these students might be living down the street from a neighbor who needs assistance and we hope that the lessons they learn today will carry over and they will be able to help others in the future,” said Sawyer.
Ealy, who has been working with children in the community both at Burnett and her daycare, added, “This is such a blessing to me and my family. These students have such a big heart for the community. That is not something you see all the time.”
To see more photos of the event, click here.