On Oct. 17, more than 30 Northbrook High students, teachers and other volunteers met in southeast Houston to repair the home of 83-year-old Maezell Roberts. The homeowner was thrilled with the work and spirit of the volunteers.
Mrs. Roberts has lived in her home near Cullen and Bellfort for 55 years. The Childress Academy at Northbrook High School attracts students willing to invest in service-minded projects as they pursue scholarships to help fund college and university studies when they later graduate.
The adult and student volunteer crew scraped, caulked, painted, replaced wood trim and siding, built a new handrail, installed soffit vents, planted flowers and mulched flower beds, and cooked lunch for the volunteers and Mrs. Roberts.
“At lunch, I sat on the porch with her. The comment that she repeated over and over again was about how the kids were smiling as they helped repair her home,” says Donald Miller, who is Childress Academy’s coordinator at the high school.
On Tuesday, Oct. 20, a group of Childress Academy students cooked dinner at the Ronald McDonald House for families in the Texas Medical Center. Northbrook High students volunteer for dozens of such service projects during the school year.