A group of teenagers from the Irvington and Sleepy Hollow areas in New York State recently traveled to Puerto Rico to participate in the Teens4PR-sponsored García Dávila Recovery Program. The teens divided their time between the towns of Vega Baja and Toa Alta, both badly hit by Hurricane Maria.
In Vega Baja they purchased and delivered mattresses and home appliances such as ovens and refrigerators to hurricane victims who lost all of their belongings. In Toa Alta the teens helped build two houses in the Villa Esperanza community.
The group bought building materials and brought them over to Villa Esperanza. There, with the help and guidance of volunteers from two mainland-based churches, the teens helped build a house for Aixa, a single mother of three small children, and another one for Luis Ramón Rivera, a senior citizen. The teenagers worked hard under the blazing July sun but enjoyed experiencing the sense of hope and the gratefulness of the victims. Most are planning on going back. "This opportunity has made me realized how lucky I am," words from one of the teenagers.