April 13, 2008 (Jackson, Miss.) – The Belhaven Blazer Soccer team spent several days providing assistance to storm victims in North Jackson after the April 4 tornadoes that ravaged the metro area.
The team combed neighborhoods, knocking on doors and removing debris from the yards and homes of local residents, who often found themselves overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness of strangers.
“Someone needs to know this is from the Lord,” said Trudy Clements, peering through a sliding glass door as three teammates worked together, lifting a large piece of tree trunk and carting it away.
The storm uprooted a tree from someone else’s yard, barely missing her home and leaving her backyard littered with stumps and limbs too dangerous to move on her own. When the Blazers arrived, Clements had been worrying over how she would manage cleanup, adding, “This is just the biggest blessing I’ve ever seen.”
Coach Steve DeCou and the soccer team were connected to this project by Blazer Football Coach, Danny White, who spent the first weekend after the storm cutting trees with First Baptist Jackson, Junior High Pastor, Jeremy McMahan. McMahan and other groups from FBC are still involved in area recovery.
For more information about Blazer athletics, contact sid@belhaven.edu.