Refugio (KIII News) — The Refugio Independent School District is still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, with many of their books destroyed and some left exposed to mold.
Thankfully, the district is receiving some much-needed help as the one-year anniversary of Harvey approaches.
"It's not just the Texas way, but the educator way, and we're all in this together," said Jerry Maze, executive director of Education Service Center - Region 12. "We're just happy to be part of it."
Representatives with the Region 12 district in Waco, Texas, presented Refugio ISD with more than $20,000 Wednesday. The money was raised by various organizations around the state.
"I don't care if it's in Waco or Refugio. You fee like you're part of a big family. We just feel like we were able to give a helping and at a time that it was needed," Maze said.
The district plans to use the funds for books that students can access online, since one-third of their collection for grades 7-12 were lost in the hurricane.
"We're facing the same dilemma this year," Refugio ISD Librarian Anna Garcia said. "We still don't know if we're going to be able to open the library."
The doors of the high school library remain closed, and the shelves empty, but Garcia believes the donation will help bring students a sense of normalcy.
"We want them to be learners forever, so getting those library books in their hands is the most important thing for us," Garcia said.
Refugio ISD Superintendent Melissa Gonzales knows the rebuilding process will taken one step at a time.
"It maybe close to a year since the hurricane happened but we're very much still living through the recovery process," Gonzales said. "Little by little we're taking care of it."
Although the district will continue to see changes this upcoming year, they are ready to close the chapter on Hurricane Harvey.
"We can't allow this to consume us," Gonzales said. "It's time to move forward and make the best that we can of a difficult situation."
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