Snow College students showed up for their community in a big way on Saturday, September 7 to help residents of Fountain Green which was still reeling after being hit with flooding after a massive thunderstorm covered the area on August 18. Officials estimated that roughly half of the homes in town were impacted, leaving many homes damaged.

    Snow College Professor of Construction Technology David Barker organized the event. After talking with students, he hoped to have 40-50 show up to help, but over 200 Snow College students gathered to help Fountain Green rebuild. As word about the event spread, more and more groups got involved.

    The students were split into two groups. The first group worked with Mayor Mark Combs to remove the sandbags that were placed weeks earlier. This was a huge effort made easier with all the helping hands. This group put in approximately six hours of labor hauling the sandbags away. They also did quite a bit to clean up the town.

    The second group worked with Professor Barker to install sheetrock in homes that were damaged in the flooding. Ten teams were created, with a Construction Technology student leading each team. Most of the students had little to no experience, but each one had the desire to learn and help where they could. Each team removed old, damaged drywall and installed new drywall. Overall, the students installed more than 350 sheets of drywall in homes across town.

    Professor Barker said, “It was a whirlwind of a day, but the residents of Fountain Green were so appreciative. Our students were in good spirits and smiling the whole time as they worked hard throughout the day.”