PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Among all the devastating images and heartbreaking stories from Hurricane Matthew, there are fortunately some positive stories to help lift spirits.
The Ponte Vedra High School football team volunteered time on their day off to help clean up debris for people in St. Johns County who needed some help.
The young men were helping pick up after Hurricane Matthew in neighborhoods that back up to the public beach access for Mickler’s Landing.
“It’s kind of a tragedy,” PVHS sophomore Cole McCormick said. “It came by and it ruined a lot of people’s houses and trees, so we're coming out and cleaning up (and) helping people out.”
There was damage to the public fence, with portions down and even part of it in a pond. News4Jax tagged along with some of the PVHS football team’s linebackers, who were happy to help the community that helps them.
The students could have been at the beach, or hanging with friends, but instead they were picking up storm debris on their day off from school.
“We might as well go around and help our community,” PVHS junior Drew Granger said. “We took some time out of our football practice to do this.”
It may have been their coach’s idea for the team to give back, but when they learned what they were doing, they were ready for the job.
The group that News4Jax followed was composed of four linebackers. Each position group went into different areas around Ponte Vedra, including the area of Lost Beach, off Ponte Vedra Boulevard.
“They do so much for us and support our football team, so we're helping them out in the ways that we can,” PVHS senior Carson Richter said.
Parents of football players, like Kevin Lamsback, said they are proud of what these teens are doing.
“Not only the physical part with football, but also the character building helping to mold these boys into men and productive members of society,” Lamsback said.
A lot of residents of the houses that the boys helped clean weren’t home, but one woman in the neighborhood said she was so grateful for them, adding that during a stressful time, they really helped lighten her family’s load.