Photo Gallery/RECAP: Success of Highway to Harvey shows hard work of Westside Deca students

As Homecoming week went on, the donations for victims of Hurricane Harvey piled up, and the hard work of many Deca students did not go unnoticed. From Powderbuff and Powderpuff donations, to a day of filling a truck at Fusion Medical Staffing, the Westside Community was able to come together to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

This opportunity first came up to DECA Sponsor, Sarah Schau, when her neighbor mentioned his desire to send a truck down to Texas. Through networking, this vision became a reality and Schau knew that the students of Westside Deca would be the best for the job.

“I think the biggest success for me as a teacher was watching the students solve their own problems and make it work,” said Schau. “They really ran the show honestly, all throughout the whole thing.”

For Schau there were so many successes, but being able to see 140 seniors come together for a common parts was one of the coolest parts for her. She said that being able to see the whole community come together as a whole made her heart happy. Even her daughter got in on the action when she gathered around $700 at Fusion Medical Staffing.

“The money we didn’t spend on buying things we’re going to send down so we also have about a $1000 check that we are going to send too,” Schau said.

The publication of this event, from news stations to 96.1 Kiss FM, helped to communicate this unique event to people around the Omaha community. In fact, Schau says that even after the news story ran, organizations reached out to get a ride for their donations down to Texas on the semi-truck. To Schau, it wasn’t about who got credit for organizing the event but rather the fact that it will positively impact many families and lives around the Houston area.

“I just hope it serves a purpose, that it helps them, and maybe takes some financial strain off of their plate or makes them as happy as it made us to try to help them,” Schau said.