One week after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the New York metropolitan
area, Rafael Serrano Rivera, Campus Minister, Campus
Ministry, led a team of St. John’s student volunteers to help
victims of the storm begin to pick up the pieces of their
lives.
“On Monday, when we came back to campus, we wanted to do something
to help,” said Rivera, who received a call from Pamela G.
Shea-Byrnes, Vice President for Campus Ministry and University
Events. “Pam told me that St. Thomas More
Church in Rockaway Point had food and clothes that were
donated, but no way of getting them to the victims of the
storm.”
Knowing that Rockaway Point and nearby Breezy Point were among the
hardest hit neighborhoods in New York City, Rivera quickly
assembled a team of eight students and four Campus Ministry
graduate assistants to mobilize and lend whatever assistance they
could.
“We rented a school bus and drove down there to see what we could
do,” Rivera said. Upon arrival, they found a basketball court full
of much-needed food and clothing. “We loaded up the bus with some
of the donated supplies and drove over to St. Mary Star of the Sea
and St. Gertrude Parish in Far Rockaway,” he said. “When we got
there, we found huge lines of people who just wanted to get warm
and get something to eat.”
Throughout the day, the student volunteers were proactive in
helping the victims of the storm. “There was such a great dynamic
in the group and the volunteers were so eager to help,” he said.
“They really showed that the more difficult the recovery is, the
more courage and love we show for each other.”
Aware that the region faces a long road to recovery, the University
community is also stepping up to assist those in need. On Saturday,
Ketienne Telemaque, Residence Minister for Vincentian Service and
Justice, will lead
Team RV to the Rockaways, providing aid to those who so
desperately require it.
“When people are the most vulnerable, we come together to help each
other,” said Rivera, who saw firsthand how disaster can bring out
the best in people. “All our differences are put aside and the
unity of brotherhood and sisterhood comes alive.”