 While it was August 17th and Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Texas, and even though months have passed, much of the Houston area still isn't a state of disrepair. In this week's Community Spotlight, our Josh Peterson, met up with some local students are hoping to make a difference without having to leave their own hometown. Seniors at Voyager's Expeditionary School have been creating a sustainable home, but when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Texas, it created a new aspect to their project. To help from JCI USA over the past few weeks, students have been collecting items to send down in a large semi-trailer to help with recovery, learning a valuable lesson in community service. Getting all these other groups involved in stuff, you're seeing a lot of that where people are taking just a few moments of their time, but they realize that that few moments of time can really change someone's life forever. For students at Voyager's, being able to step outside the classroom and reach outside their state's borders to help others in need is a pretty cool feeling. We're thinking about others and being able to go down and not just think about us, but getting into and helping other people who are in need so it shows that we're not just always self-centered and that we're caring about others. Students have been hitting the pavement, going around to businesses, asking for donations and supplies. Overall, they say the response has been positive. It's been typically positive. They'll send us at least a few things on their way, but it's been pretty positive and they've been pretty encouraged and enthusiastic and helped out. For staff members at Voyager's, having students work on a real-life project that encourages students to make connections is a valuable life lesson. Biggest thing that I'm hoping that the kids learn is how to be able to reach out, work on contacts and how to talk to people in the community and explain what the purpose is and why they're participating in the project. With the kindness and generosity stretching over 1,000 miles, the effort made by some Bemidji teenagers is making a world of difference and is greatly appreciated. It means a lot, especially coming from thousands and thousands of miles away. That's just such extreme kindness. With supplies needed ranging from paint, hardware and cleaning supplies, students at Voyager's are asking the public for help and will be collecting items on Saturday, December 2. With this week's Community Spotlight, in Bemidji, Josh Peterson, Lakeland News. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.