One core value at Xavier is service. We are called to serve others whenever we are capable. On August 10, the city of Cedar Rapids and surrounding areas were devastated by a derecho storm. The storm ripped open houses and businesses and some citizens went over a week without power. The Xavier volleyball team, football team, and cross country teams wanted to help those most affected.

Volleyball head coach, Austin Filer said it was just the right thing to do.

“We want to show Christ through our actions,” Filer said. “People needed help and we had the ability to help them. There were so many families impacted by these storms. We had an amazing opportunity to show God through our service.”

The team spent multiple days helping various community members with their needs. 

“Each day after the derecho we had practice and then went to a home to help with cleanup,” Filer said. “Typically we would stay around two to three hours pulling branches, cutting down trees, and raking leaves. Some of the families we helped were Xavier families, volleyball families, or families that we did not know.”

The players on the team were also grateful that they could help out and come together to make people smile. Senior Eve Magill said that it was so rewarding to help people who had damage to their houses.

“I am very grateful that I am healthy and that I could help people clean their yards,” Magill said. “There are so many people who have it worse than I do, so I am more than happy to give those people hope.”

Other members of the team said their favorite part of helping out was doing it with their teammates. Senior Katy Garrison said it made the experience even more special and helped the team chemistry as well.

“Doing service meant a lot because I love helping others and the fact that I could do it with my team makes it even better,” Garrison said. “I think this impacted the chemistry in a good way because we grew closer as a team and we got to spend extra time together.”

Filer would agree. He was amazed by how much this brought the team together.

“I believe we grew as a team while doing service projects,” Filer said, “It was an opportunity for us to bond while giving back to the community. We saw the destruction at some of our own houses. The Xavier community is amazing. We were able to accomplish large tasks in just a few hours that would have taken days for families to complete on their own. I was so proud of our kids for giving back each day.”

The Xavier volleyball team will be in action on Tuesday, September 29 at 7 pm against Waterloo East. The game will be played at Xavier.