By: Jalen Worstell

Westborough High School’s CSS (Center for Student Success) social worker, Ms.Balacco, recently traveled to Houston, Texas with the Red Cross Foundation to help those in need of mental health support after Hurricane Harvey. The hurricane touched down in Texas in  September causing $29.8 million dollars worth of damage in the Houston area.  Ms.Balacco flew on September 6 and stayed until September 16.  She stayed in a  Red Cross station in downtown Houston.

Ms.Balacco and the Red Cross emergency vehicles rushed to help patients in need of support.  They worked with the Mexican Red Cross Foundation as well. Despite the language barrier, everyone was able to come together with one goal:  to help everyone in need and to put a smile on everyone’s face.

Ms.Balacco says “Despite all of the heartbreak and devastation, the sense of hope and community no matter where you were from was super intense and you always had everyone working together.”

After each day of volunteering, Ms.Balacco went through a few steps in order to reflect on what she saw that day in Houston:

1. Focus each day on moments of hope
2. Look at small victory moments of resiliency
3. Disconnect from the news and just reset after reflecting while maintaining personal health.
4. Set routines such as try to eat and drink water

As a social worker working in the disaster mental health group in the Red Cross Foundation, Ms. Balacco knew it was really important to use the power of connection through offering water, an ear to listen to and a hug through to the people who were suffering from all the devastation.

She realized committing small acts of kindness by bringing balloons to the children who had lost everything in their homes could at least put a smile on their  faces.  

This gesture has inspired Ms. Balacco to learn how to make balloon animals so that when she volunteers next she will be able to make people feel better.  She also wants to learn spanish so that she can create stronger bonds with anyone she is able to work with to help any cause.

Overall, her experience in Houston has given Ms. Balacco a greater sense of gratitude of how life can change at any moment. Leaving everyone she was fortunate enough to help with was hard for her as most of the people who had lost everything to Hurricane Harvey.  What was so difficult was these same people had also previously lost everything in Hurricane Katrina.  As a result, they had moved from Louisiana to Texas to build a new home–only to become victims of another hurricane.

If you would like to help, you can donate to the Red Cross Foundation or any other organization that is currently helping victims of Hurricane Harvey.