Today officially marks the start of our last week in Florida.

It’s hard to believe it’s almost time to go. It feels like we’ve been here forever, it feels like we just arrived. We’ve spent most of the last few days writing a lot of emails and doing our non-volunteer jobs as we make preparations for our next travel stop. We’ve also been helping with little things as we can at Susan’s house hoping to leave it in a better condition than we came to it.

On Monday, we attended another meeting for the Fort Myers South Club and had the opportunity to learn about a scholarship fund they sponsor that helps single parents, people with physical disabilities, those dealing with loss of a parent, and those with financial hardships. It was another reminder of what I love about this organization. All of the ways I see people mobilizing to help others and make a difference. It’s why we’re on this gap year.

It’s not an exaggeration to say our time here has been life changing. Living in a disaster zone, even experiencing it secondhand, has been a huge shift in our perspectives. We’ve had many conversations about long-term goals regarding homeownership and disaster preparedness. We’ve learned more about construction and insurance claims than we ever planned to. We’ve also seen more love and support for our endeavors than we ever could have asked for.

Though Rotary’s work gutting houses has been slowing down a bit, it’s clear looking around how much more there will be to do in coming months. There are still boats in ditches and trees with whole root systems laying at the side of the road. There are still hundreds of people trying to figure out a plan as their homes are completely unlivable for now, if even salvageable over time. This community will still need much more work and much more time to heal. We are continuing to ask for funds to be donated through Rotary’s Disaster Relief channels (link can be found in our bio) so that this effort can persist as Rotary finds new ways to aid the people in need.