By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
Three Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Dallas joined forces July 14 to collect and deliver emergency supplies to flood-ravaged Kerr County, answering a call to service with a show of faith and solidarity.
John Paul II High School in Plano, Bishop Lynch High School in east Dallas, and Bishop Dunne Catholic School in Oak Cliff hosted the “Fill the Bus for Kerr County” drive.
The event mobilized school communities to gather essential goods for families impacted by the devastating floods that swept through Central Texas over the July Fourth weekend.
The effort began with JPII president Casey Buckstaff’s own reflection in the wake of the disaster.
“On Sunday afternoon, with the weight still heavy on my heart, I was looking at the ‘ways to help’ sites and thought about how JPII could support people in need down there,” she said. “I saw all the different lists and thought about how our buses can hold so much and put the idea together that way.”
Buckstaff reached out to the principal at Notre Dame Catholic School to coordinate logistics and assess local needs, then contacted Chris Rebuck and Gabe Moreno, presidents of Bishop Lynch and Bishop Dunne.
“They were quick to add their schools’ support to the effort,” Buckstaff said.
Volunteers at each school helped collect and sort donations, which included shelf-stable food, bottled water, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, diapers, paper goods, and gift cards. All three schools opened their campuses as drop-off locations, and school buses were filled with supplies to be driven to Kerrville.
Twenty-eight volunteers from Bishop Dunne — including parents, alumni, students, and Origin Bank employees — gathered to collect and pack donations for flood victims.
Though the official drop-off ran from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Bishop Dunne school officials said supplies began arriving the prior week and continued into the afternoon. A partner foundation has also pledged mental health support for those affected.
Buckstaff said the response from the community was swift and rooted in a desire to serve.
“At JPII, ‘Seek to Serve’ is a motto that we strive to live by each day,” Buckstaff said. “In acts large and small, we look for ways that we can contribute in a positive way to the larger community, whether our service is for the people walking beside us or the people in need farther away.”
She added, “I hope this act of service, ‘Fill the Bus for Kerr County,’ is a reminder to each person’s heart to seek to serve in whatever way they are able every day.”
Cutline for featured image: Members of the Bishop Lynch High School community pose with donated items on July 14 as part of the “Fill the Bus for Kerr County” drive, which was organized to benefit victims of the flash floods in Central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. (DREW MERLINO/Special Contributor)
