Teens Helping Houston

(Houston, Texas) Hurricane Harvey and the damage it did to Houston might seem like old news this summer, but some teens on Boston’s North Shore would (politely) disagree.

As soon as summer vacation 2018 began, seven high school students, two college students and staff chaperones got on a plane to take part in Jewish Teen Initiative’s (JTI) Houston Relief Trip. The group’s goal was to use some of their precious vacation time to make a difference; their mission was to help people with hurricane-ravaged homes a year after Hurricane Harvey did record-breaking damage to Houston.

The volunteer group met with Saint Bernard Project (SPB) staff who explained the week’s work. SPB also taught the JTI team how to tile, paint, grout, plaster and other skills that few of them had when they left home.

The Saint Bernard Project is a nonprofit disaster relief organization. They were founded to respond to Katrina in New Orleans and have grown into a national organization that helps shrink the time between disaster and recovery in cities all across America. JTI worked with them in New Orleans last year, as well.

“Even though you don’t see it in the news anymore and the Super Bowl made Houston look so good, there are still lots of people who can’t live in their homes since Hurricane Harvey last year,” said alumnus chaperone Alex Golding, now at U Mass Dartmouth, Class of 2020.

“Where there is need, our teens want to go!” said JTI Program Director Gabe Miner. “While we do a lot of service learning on the North Shore and around Boston, teens jump at the chance to travel and have impact in places they’ve never been before.”

Jewish Teen Initiative (JTI), formerly North Shore Teen Initiative (NSTI), based in Marblehead, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit that connects and engages Jewish teens on Boston’s North Shore and in MetroWest.

Other groups volunteered with SPB in Houston concurrently with JTI. The groups attended a "Thank You" barbecue hosted by a homeowner whose repairs had just been finished by SBP.

JTI team member Emma Keith, Newburyport High School, Class of 2021, reflected on her time at the Houston Relief Trip:

“Regardless of all the fun and evening activities, the highlight of the trip was meeting the person whose house we were working on: Ms. Cynthia.

Working on her house though was tough. After watching a minute-and-a-half video called, ''How to Tile- For Beginners”, I spent countless hours tiling … I also spent a lot of time painting. Everyday, I left the worksite with paint in my hair, stained onto my clothing, and splotched on skin.

Each day I became more and more exhausted, yet we all continued to work twice as hard as the previous day for Cynthia. She stopped by to meet us, talk about how much our services meant to her, and tell us a bit about her life.

Just from a quick visit, I could see that Cynthia radiated positivity, thankfulness, and thoughtfulness towards others. She is the epitome of goodness in the world, and her presence made everyone strive to work harder.

Personally, after meeting her I was very inspired and I want to try to possess her attitude, strength, and mentality, and carry it with me throughout my life. No words I could possibly write about her would do her any justice. All I have to say is, there are some people you'll remember for the rest of your life, and I can easily say that Ms. Cynthia is one of them.”

This Houston Relief Trip was inspired by the popularity of JTI’s annual Habitat for Humanity Spring Break service trips to North Carolina since 2011. The trip was supported by Act Now Houston and The Leadership Coalition for Jewish Service through Repair The World.

“Summer is the only time that most of our teens have time off together so we offer a variety of travel, service and social programs during June, July and August,” JTI Executive Director Adam Smith explained. “And, as high as the humidity was, the kids’ energy was higher. No matter what the work was, everyone brought their best game and learned so much.”

Hard work during the day meant nighttime was for play and Houston proved to be a hospitable host city. Besides bowling, laser tag, arcades, a sunset ferris wheel ride, Tex-Mex and BBQ, the group attended a Houston Astros v. Tampa Bay Rays game. (Though it was a close game, the Astros lost 2-1, ending their 12-game winning streak.)

“On Friday,” wrote Emma Keith, “we enjoyed a delicious Mediterranean Shabbat dinner in a Jewish Bollywood-themed art gallery in the largest temple I have ever seen (thanks, Congregation Beth Israel, for welcoming us!) The hospitality the rabbi and the entire congregation showed made us feel very welcomed.

“This whole experience was nothing short of astounding.”

JTI is a nonprofit organization connecting kids to community service, social justice programs and trips. To learn more about JTI which serves the North Shore and Boston Metrowest, visit http://jewishteeninitiative.org/.

Photo captions: 1) L to R: Emma Keith (Newburyport), Jared Book (Lynnfield), Olivia Hazlett (Marblehead) and Grace Kiwanuka-Woernle (Boston proper) sand floors in Ms. Cynthia’s house during JTI’s Houston Relief Trip; 2) Elias Turk (St. Marks), Jared Book (Lynnfield), Alex Golding (Wakefield) install a closet door; 3) Team JTI with homeowner Ms. Cynthia and SBP Staffer at Houston Relief Trip 2018; 4) Team JTI Takes a Break during the Houston Relief Trip 2018