Ethel Walker School
Walker’s has returned to Seguin, Texas this week to assist Guadalupe Valley Habitat for Humanity! Our students are spending spring break building affordable homes for hardworking, deserving families in the area. Check back each day as they document their trip, and be sure to read this Seguin Today article that features their visit!
Today we woke up at 2:45 a.m. to be at the airport for 4:00 a.m. At the airport we got Dunkin, and afterwards we got on the plane. In total our two flights were about five hours. Once we got to the church, we cleaned up and headed out to a Super Walmart and got some food and goodies. To end the night we played some Jeopardy and went to bed early.
—Ella and Cecilia
This morning we ate some breakfast early and headed to the worksite! We went to a home that is just about to be completed, and helped work on the “punch list,” or a bunch of small tasks that needed to be completed around the property. We painted fences, shutters, and doors, caulked door frames and floorboards, and worked on the chain link fence. We also dug a hole for the mailbox, and learned how to use a nail gun and reciprocating saw. After helping clean up, we ate lunch (and some cake!) and said our goodbyes.
Then, we headed to Buc-ees!!! We shopped there for a while and then went to Walmart to pick up some more things. We finished out the day with a few games of knockout in the gym at the church and all helped cook a delicious nacho and quesadilla dinner.
—Molly and Lauren
Today we went to San Antonio! We took a really fun boat tour on the river and saw many local sites. We went to a few gift shops, where we bought t-shirts, key chains, and other souvenirs. We then went to the mall and shopped some more!! When we got back to the youth center we made personalized pizzas, played pool, ping-pong, and air hockey. We did a lot of walking today, but we had so much fun!
—Amanda
Today we got back to work on site! We worked on completing the punch list, planted trees, and painted trim. We then ate lunch from Kirby’s and headed off to the Habitat ReStore for the Habi-tour. Before our fun night out we headed back to the church for dinner and to rest up. We then headed to Gruene Hall for a fun night of dancing and ice cream.
—Lexi and Catherine
Today we went to the Seguin site and worked on finishing touches on the house. We caulked and repainted the outside walls, peeled off the painters tape, laid a ton of sod, and planted trees (with a pickax!) and plants. The Zonta Club of Seguin brought us lunches, and then we loaded wood back onto the truck. We went back to the church for dinner, played basketball and football, and made sugar cookies!
—Amanda and Maddie
Today was our last day at the build site. We mostly worked on the finishing touches of the house with lots of cleaning, power washing, and paint touch-ups. These were very important tasks to complete in order to prepare for the home dedication with the new homeowner.
We worked hard for a few hours transforming the bathtubs into shiny clean ones as well as a full clean on the rest of the floors and walls. We then enjoyed a highly requested repeat of Kerby’s with patty melts, chicken tenders, and curly fries. Afterwards we went back to the church to start packing and getting cleaned up for the home dedication. We arrived for the home dedication and we were joined by the new homeowner, her family, her friends, core volunteers, the mayor of Seguin, donors, and other volunteers. It was a beautiful gathering where we were able to listen to the new homeowner share her remarks and gratitude. We then returned to the church and went to pick up takeout at Schlotzsky’s and enjoyed sandwiches, calzones, and mini pizzas. We wrapped up the night with some fun games and more packing.
—Alexia
Today was our travel day which means we were leaving Texas. We woke up a little bit earlier than usual to give the church a thorough cleaning. We deflated the air mattresses and got the bedclothes, towels, and pillows. Alex and Madeline were here to collect these; they will save some for us and put some into their Habitat store. It was quite cold in San Antonio today which was good preparation for going back to Connecticut. After a full day of travel, we finally arrived home around evening. Hope everyone can have a good rest.
—Ella and Cecilia
