Bears to the Aid
The earliest months of the COVID-19 pandemic introduced new needs to the students on Baylor’s campus, and the University’s BearAid initiative was born to meet them. In the fall of 2020, BearAid’s first mission was to take necessities, like food and supplies, to students who were in quarantine. After the height of the pandemic, the team wondered how they could continue to serve those beyond the Baylor community. The team is now composed of 25 on-call student volunteers and staff members.
BearAid began to partner with other groups, like the McLennan County Disaster Relief Organization and Texans on Mission. These established initiatives offered BearAid knowledge and resources, and, in turn, BearAid provided them extra helping hands.
Since then, BearAid has accomplished remarkable things in Kentucky, Texas and Louisiana. In December 2021, one of the longest-tracked tornadoes in history wreaked havoc on Mayfield, Kentucky. BearAid mobilized to respond to this disaster.
One of the buildings destroyed in Mayfield was a candle factory that was in operation during the time that the tornado hit.
“It was a very somber, earth-shattering moment to witness and to see that this building was completely wiped away and that all these people had lost their lives in a small community,” Assistant Dean of Spiritual Life Rebecca Kennedy said.
Spring Break 2023, BearAid returned to Mayfield to see how their efforts had impacted the community. The section of the town they had been assigned to clean up had built three new houses.
“Disaster relief is hard work, it’s unpredictable, you have to be very adaptable,” Kennedy said. “But if you’re returning somewhere over and over, you get to see the reward in a tangible way.”
Baylor Senior Mason Flippin has been to Mayfield twice with BearAid. He expressed that while it was horrifying to see such a tragedy in real life, it was comforting to see the work the team was putting in actually doing something.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned from BearAid is that no matter what people are going through, we can inspire change through BearAid. It’s a great opportunity for growth for students and to help grow communities that have been through a lot,” Flippin said.
Disaster relief requires the understanding that recovery takes time and work. In their most recent efforts, BearAid visited Rolling Fork, Mississippi, delivering supplies and hot meals to those impacted by a tornado in late March.
BearAid’s short-term goal is to continue to help Waco and Texas communities when natural disaster relief is needed through an on-call student team. Long-term, BearAid plans to go global and mobilize a passionate, vibrant team of volunteers to reach the smallest corners of the world.