Joining against Irma

By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic

MIAMI | Several sites along the Florida Keys, still struggling to recover from Hurricane Irma, got much-needed help as members of two major Catholic schools -- Barry University and St. Thomas University -- joined forces in a relief task force.

The first-ever South Florida Catholic university disaster relief response day, Oct. 14, mustered 52 students, staff and faculty from Thomas and Barry. Leaving at 7 a.m., they returned at 8:30 p.m.

During that day, the joint force pitched in at three sites hit by the Category 4 storm:

• San Pedro Church in Tavernier, where they worked with parishioners to clear trees and other debris.
• John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo, where they helped rebuild a nature path destroyed by the hurricane.
• Marathon, where they worked on cleaning up the Crane Point Hammock Nature Center and preparing it to reopen to the public.

"There are parts of the Keys that are still suffering, and we wanted to be able to respond," said Anthony Vinciguerra, coordinator of the STU Center for Community Engagement. "We are one archdiocese, from Broward to Key West, and as such we felt we had to do something."

The joint foray benefitted the schools as well as those in the Keys, suggested Courtney Berrien, associate director of the Center for Community Service Initiatives at Barry University. Although Barry and St. Thomas teach the need to make a difference, they typically send separate service trips.

"We often operate in our own silos," Berrien acknowledged. "Hurricane Irma provided the opportunity for us to come together, to connect to our neighbors in the Keys, and to make a bigger impact by working together."

The two officials urged interested people to continue to donate to archdiocesan Catholic Charities, which is supporting long-term recovery to those most affected by Irma.