My husband and I signed up with Team Rubicon when our kids finally left. Our youngest started college this year. This is our answer to an empty nest and it turns out it’s the cheapest vacation we’ve ever taken!
We signed up a year ago and finally made the decision to deploy because of Hurricane Harvey. We have a lot of family in Houston; being able to come down to help was a no-brainer – that’s what you do for family.
Army veterans Paula and Dan Gulick spent a week providing disaster relief for residents in Texas.
People lost everything. You can’t see it from the main roads, but it’s absolute destruction the minute you turn onto a side street and enter a neighborhood. Most of the homeowners were hopeful. One gentleman said, “I just need someone to help me get started. I really don’t know where to start.” He worked alongside us and seeing him watch the progress was incredible.
Team Rubicon members perform an interior demolition at a house in Beaumont, Texas.
I’m going home to tell people how it feels to see this, to help people. I don’t usually share my feelings, so this will surprise them. I’ll try to explain the destruction, and what the homeowners are going through, and tell them to get off their keesters and find a way to help.
My husband thinks our kids will freak out that we’ve had our photo taken but they won’t be surprised we actually did it and come to Texas. We’ve been talking about it for so long. We’re not hoping for another disaster, but we’ll be back.
