The Backstory

On December 23^rd, 2017 an independently organized group of volunteers arrived in Puerto Rico with the intention to serve one place in order to help many. The Equus Center of Puerto Rico is a place where the horses are the therapists, where children with cerebral palsy can find freedom, where victims of stroke can regain mobility, and where people with Autism can learn new ways to communicate. The Center is committed to changing lives, and we were committed to helping it get back to doing that.

We camped in tents; rationing water and living without electricity. We worked in the hot sun and learned to navigate the challenges of biting ants, spontaneous rain showers, temperamental generators, and plumbing failures. After nearly three weeks the Center was transformed and is now safe and stable enough to begin fulfilling its mission again. The farm wasn’t the only thing transformed. Each of the volunteers was impacted deeply by this land, its people, the strength of mother nature, and the power of helping others. We feel connected to this community and have seen that there is still so much to do.

From the view of an airplane window, 4 months after the storm, blue tarped roofs dapple the cityscape. And within just a few minutes of driving from the airport, the magnitude of this storm is still incomprehensible. Traffic lights are still not to be trusted. The highway exit sign that you are looking for is covering a house instead, telephone poles and stadium lights stand askew, useless electrical wires lay tangled like yarn, and even some concrete buildings have been reduced to rubble.

We can’t change all of that, but we can still help people. Most of our original group has had to return to their lives at home, but one of us remains and a few are coming back. Every one of us has fallen in love with this beautiful island and its resilient people. This time around we want to help the community that surrounds the Equus Center. Many people are still living without secure roofs; with damages to their home that keep getting worse due to time and weather as they wait for an official response. We are not tied to any large organization; rather we are a rogue group of carpenters and apprentices who know how to get the job done. With the support of the Equus Center as our continued host and sponsor, we expect to have few barriers to getting started. We are a small, mobile crew and can access local resources and members of the community. All we need to do is measure, make a plan, buy material and get to work helping put lives back together one roof at a time.