DAWSON SPRINGS, Ky. (WEHT) – As time continues to pass, the large groups of volunteers helping western Kentucky residents rebuild from the December 10 tornado slowly dwindles. However, a group of women from all over the country are helping residents in Dawson Springs on their road to recovery.
“We pay our own way, we cook our own food, and we pay for everything we personally need,” explains project director Kitsy Parrish.
Sister-Corps is assisting some residents in Hopkins County. The group visiting Dawson Springs consisted of nearly 50 women from as far away as California and Nevada, to Texas and even New York. While they are not performing contracted repairs, they can assist with things like painting, debris cleanup, and minor repairs such as rebuilding a deck. Formed from the group “Women on the Fly”, a women’s outdoor adventure group, Sister Corps is nearly 5 years old, but in the 5 years of their existence, many volunteers say they have never seen damage like that in western Kentucky.
“We’ve been in hurricane areas, and they’re bad,” says Sister-Corps President Leeann Moore. “But there are houses that we fix. And here, houses are gone.”
Volunteer Brenda Williams says the devastation is overwhelming, and she became emotional when discussing the debris they have helped pick up are pieces of lives torn apart forever.
“The emotional impact of what we do is deep. It runs deep,” explains Williams.
One beneficiary of the women’s efforts, Charles Robinson, is grateful for the volunteers. His home was completely demolished on the night of December 10, and he was forced to relocate to another part of Dawson Springs. The home he purchased was also damaged, but structurally sound, and he says the help from Sister-Corps has saved him time and money.
“It is a real blessing because we didn’t expect that. We expected we would have to do all that work ourselves,” says Robinson.
If you would like to learn more about Sister-Corps, you can visit their website at this link.
