Spring is in the air. Temperatures are rising, flowers are blooming, and spring break is approaching. The closer spring break gets, the more students can be overheard organizing and discussing their plans to go to the beach or skiing in the mountains. It is a time of adventure and new beginnings.

For one group of Ada High students, the idea of spring break adventures and new beginnings took on an entirely new meaning, as they traveled to Albany, Georgia, a place where new beginnings were not an exciting option, but, instead, a devastating necessity.

Albany was hit with a massive tornado in late January, resulting in destruction and fatalities across the city. While local non-profit organizations took care of as much of the damage as they could, there was more than they alone could handle, leaving some families without homes or basic human needs.

The decision to spend their spring break assisting with the disaster relief efforts in Albany was a no-brainer for this group of students.

Ada Junior Zack Powell did not have to think twice about making the trip. “I wanted to make a difference in this community and help clean up for people who couldn’t help themselves.”

Ada First Baptist Church youth leader Kyle Mott loaded up students from all across Pontotoc County and made the nearly 14-hour drive to southern Georgia with a mission to help the affected community and show victims that there was still hope.

While in Albany, the youth group stayed at Sherwood Baptist which, according to Powell, was exciting for the group because the church has been featured in movies such as ‘Facing the Giants‘ and ‘Courageous‘.

A typical day started with breakfast at the church before students would go to different sites and help out with specific tasks. Some days, they would finish their duties early and go out into the community to learn about the culture.

“The culture there, {in Albany}, was different because the majority of the race is black people, which is different from Oklahoma because the majority of people are white,” said Ada junior Bryan Moses, who, despite the differences, was still able to notice the similarities between the two states. “They still had southern hospitality, though. For instance, if they didn’t want {our} help, they were still very nice.”

One of the tasks the group started with was in a warehouse sorting children’s clothes by size and gender. As the week continued, they traveled to different locations helping bag cans of food for families impacted by the storm. An entire day was spent raking up rubble from yards, streets, and homes.

One of the experiences that was particularly touching and eye opening to Ada junior Izaack Powell was when the group delivered water and food to the families, allowing them the opportunity to speak to victims face-to-face.  

“It was one of the most eye opening weeks of my life. It was better than any youth camp I have ever been to. I don’t think you could get the full experience unless you see first hand the devastation, or help out” Powell said. “Our youth group pulled together and unified in a way it has never been before. It was good to see people having joy, even throughout the devastation they have been through.”

While this may not have been the typical spring break adventure, for these Ada High students, helping create new beginnings for the people of Albany, was an adventure they will not soon forget.