Four JROTC members missed class on March 28, trading a day’s worth of worksheets and notes for eight hours of manual labor. Sophomore James Irvin and three of his fellow JROTC members volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and spent their day working on a house that would later be given to a low-income family.

Habitat for Humanity’s has served 1,400 families in the Dallas area since 1987 in an attempt to provide people with decent places to live. During this trip, the boys helped apply siding to the habitat home.

“We try to get JROTC involved with quite a few projects,” JROTC instructor James Law said.

The JROTC volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, the MISD Clothes Closet and other community services in the area. The instructors find it important for their students to help others.

“In our community there are people who are not as fortunate as us,” Law said. “We want to try to help everyone out.”

Usually, the future homeowners meet with the volunteers, but the family was not available on the day of JROTC’s visit.

“It made me feel good inside that I was actually getting out into the community and helping people in need,” senior Stephen Soto said.

The boys have the opportunity to return to the location after finishing house to work on landscaping. The JROTC volunteers look forward to returning.

“The feeling you get after you accomplish something like that makes you want to do it again because you know that you really helped someone out,” Irvin said. “It makes me feel good to know that they are going to be able to move into that house and start a life.”