NOTE: This story has been updated to include the name of a chaperone who was initially missing from the story.

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Twenty Newtown teenagers and five chaperones traveled to Loveland, Colo., July 1-5, repairing homes and property that were damaged during flooding in the fall of 2013. Students Matt Brantl, Greg Brissette, Nick Brown, Brandyn Chieffo, Justin Gillespie, Olivia Hamula, Kira Kelly, Taylor Koonz, Jake Lapp, Jillian Milano, Allie Paynter, Brianna Britton, David Pierce, Hana Rosethal, Natalie Shaker, Grace Sholtes, Riley Smith, Amanda Tramposh, Rachel Tramposch, and Dylan Zahansky, and chaperones Rick Haylon, Paget Haylon, Kelly Paredes, Sue Vogelman and the Reverend Kathie Adams-Shepherd of Trinity Episcopal Church made up the group, according to Mrs Paredes.

“The youth really stepped up to many challenges, they showed perseverance, despite obstacles in their work day and frequent soaking rain storms,” said Mrs Paredes, who serves as program manager for Ben’s Lighthouse.

Once on the ground in Colorado, the Newtown group was divided into two crews, which were assigned tasks at flood-ravaged homes in nearby towns.

One crew headed up to the mountains in the Little Thompson River area, navigating through remote rugged terrain surrounded by stunning scenery. They even forged a shallow river to get to the driveway of the home they were tasked to work on. Their job was to mulch a pasture, which will ultimately allow the cows graze there again and provide livelihood for the homeowner.

Another crew spent three days installing several hundred feet of perimeter fencing to assist a homeowner who has been focusing his efforts on continual repair of his home. Despite significant upgrades for flood preparation, the family has had to completely move out twice this year in order to protect their belongings.

“It was incredible to turn and look at all of the progress that was made in those three days,” said Mrs Paredes. The youth participants were quite humbled as the homeowners shared their story and pictures of their flooded home, particularly noticing the several feet of water that had swallowed up the field in which they were working.

The Newtown crews worked through several rainy days and lots of mud, but always kept a positive attitude, according to Mrs Paredes.

Midway during the trip, the group headed down to Littleton to visit the Columbine Memorial. They then met with the Rebels Project, survivors from the Aurora and Columbine shootings. This group comes together to support each other and communities that are impacted by such tragedy. Many of the Newtown youth reported this to be a highlight of the trip. The engaging and connecting conversations that took place were very meaningful to trip participants.

Parents of the teens shared that their children had several eye-opening experiences, learned about themselves with a hands-on lesson about how helping is healing.

The week ended with both crews working together on a river bank of a camel farm, breaking up piles of trees/mud/branches that were tangled up in the flooding. On site, through grant-funded flood relief, a team from the City of Boulder was wood chipping and sawing alongside the Ben’s Lighthouse crew. The teens worked together to haul, push, and separate large wood pieces.

A trip to the Colorado Rockies with a stroll around Bear Lake was a welcome change of pace to the active week before the teens boarded the plane back to Newtown.

Throughout the trip the group crossed paths with two families who had ties to Newtown, an unexpected and welcome connection.

This third annual trip was funded entirely by Ben’s Lighthouse, ensuring that participation would be possible for any Newtown area teen.

Ben’s Lighthouse is seeking sponsors for upcoming trips, looking for families, neighborhoods, civic groups, or corporations to each sponsor a teen for $1,000 each. The amount is expected to cover airfare, lodging, rental vans, food, miscellaneous expenses. and a share of the chaperone costs. Visit benslighthouse.org for more information.