Lions Help With Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts

Dr. Lavelle Hendricks, student affairs coordinator and associate professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce, led 30 students from his Crisis Management class to assist with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts on September 24-27, 2017.

Hurricane Harvey became the first major hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Wilma (2005). The resulting floods inundated hundreds of thousands of homes, displaced more than 30,000 people, and led to more than 17,000 rescues. Economic losses are preliminarily estimated at between $70 to $200 billion.

“Texas was so accommodating in meeting the needs of their Louisiana neighbors in our time of need, I'm very grateful for that and want to give back now,” said Dr. Hendricks.

The students assisted with recovery clean-up efforts and collaborated with the local food pantry in Magnolia, Texas with the delivery of food and supplies. The Epic Center, hub of operations for Battle Cry Ministries, provided lodging accommodations. Dr. Hendricks simultaneously offered counseling services for those struggling with lingering mental health challenges related to the hurricane and its aftermath.

A&M-Commerce President, Ray Keck, applauded the efforts of Dr. Hendricks and his students stating: “In taking his class on disaster relief to Houston, Dr. Hendricks' students confronted the reality their classroom study addresses. We are all grateful to Dr. Hendricks for seizing the opportunity to engage directly, in a real life setting, academic components of in the counseling curriculum.”