On Jan. 1, select members of the softball team will be traveling to Mayfield, Ky., to assist homeowners with debris cleanup from tornado damage, tarp roofs and use clear debris. 

With seven team members going, they will need transportation.

“We are driving three different cars with parent chaperones,” sophomore Olivia Confer said.

According to https://www.wlky.com/article/kentucky-tornado-update-death-toll-storm-track-impact-dec-20/38572217#, as of Dec. 21, 76 residents have passed away in the tornado. 

“I feel bad that they lost everything, and the families who did lose other family members not only have to deal with that but have to deal with the loss of a home as well,” Confer said. 

Samaritan’s Purse International Relief is the organization the softball team will be traveling  through. Meals and sleeping quarters will be provided for them. The team also asked businesses for help funding the trip.

“Holiday Bowl is giving gift cards for our gas, and another business is giving work gloves and safety glasses,” senior Madison Zimmerer said. 

As a senior, Zimmerer quickly became interested in the trip.

“What made me interested at first was the way our coach was when talking about the trip and how it affected her when she had gone before. Also, because it was a good journalistic opportunity and a new and interesting adventure that I would never forget and would impact me,” Zimmerer said. 

Though junior Gracie Wilt knows she is doing a good deed, she does have concerns about the trip

“I’m worried that I’m not going to be able to handle seeing the tragedy first hand, but if I were in such a tragic situation, I would be seeking help from others too, so I feel that it’s only right that I go help and give back,” Wilt said. 

Wilt is hopeful for a good outcome from this journey.

“It is a very different perspective because I am not having to worry about this kind of stuff here, and it makes me feel better helping people around this sad time,” Wilt said.