Chicago Students Aid Puerto Rico During Spring Break
CHICAGO (CBS) -- For most students, spring break means cool trips and new adventures, but for a group of Chicago kids, it means hard work and long hours on the island of Puerto Rico.
As CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports, six months after Hurricane Maria, much of the island and its people are still recovering from the storm.
That is why a group of CPS students, all members of Storehouse Church, wanted to spend their spring break helping.
"I think this was really important for me and for all of us to just see what was really happening and do whatever we could," Xaryana Mendez said in an interview via Skype.
The students raised about $1,000 each to cover the cost of the trip. They left Sunday and went straight to work Monday.
"Going to three houses so far and we been helping them out," said Izzy Ocampo. "Their walls have been water damaged. And we been helping that out, ripping up the walls, scrubbing the walls."
The students found some residents are still without power or just recently had power restored.
The group delivered bottled water to those still without running water.
The group is also helping to distribute much-needed donations throughout the island.
The adults on the trip say the students have gone above and beyond to help in any way they can.
"It brings me a lot of joy," said Albert Mendez of Storehouse Church. "It brings me a lot of hope. "They're out here doing some amazing stuff."
To help: storehousechicago.org
