Non-profit helps 75 families return home after Harvey

To The Leader

VIDOR – Rita Laughlin and her sister, Mary Lou Denson, had been through other storms before – but nothing quite like Hurricane Harvey.

Laughlin, 74, and Denson, 76, who live together in a home off State Highway 12 in the northeast section of the city, watched helplessly in the late summer of 2017 as the first of 27 inches of water began to seep into their house. They were evacuated not once, but twice – when the second home they were brought to began to flood – and eventually ended up separated in Louisiana.

Water remained in their house for nine days, and when they returned, they found mold had already overtaken their residence.

“We’d never had anything like this,” Laughlin said. “There was no way to prepare.”

But then they found Nehemiah’s Vision.

The rebuild ministry, which has helped 75 families back into their homes to date, will honor homeowners and survivors like Laughlin and Denson, as well as volunteers, church leaders and ministry partners with its inaugural Vision 2:20 Glorification Dinner on Thursday, March 14. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Orange County Expo Center (11475 FM 1442, Orange).

The dinner is a fund-raiser for the ministry, which currently has around 1,500 applications on file for assistance across the entire Southeast Texas area. To date, Nehemiah’s Vision has logged 35,000 volunteer hours from churches and other organizations that have come from as far as New York to help.

Following hurricanes Rita and Harvey, Nehemiah’s Vision helped rebuild the homes of nearly 1,200 Southeast Texans.

Julie Reid, Interim Executive Director of Nehemiah’s Vision: Nehemiah’s Vision is blessed to work with Volunteers from all over the country, together we have assisted with repairs to 75 Southeast Texan families allowing them to return to their homes.  Nehemiah’s Vision continues to partner with local agencies and Long-Term Recovery groups to serve those impacted by Harvey.

Laughlin said she and her sister didn’t move back until their house until May 2018, but without Nehemiah’s Vision, they don’t know what they would have done.

“Because of Nehemiah’s Vision, amazing things have happened to us,” she said. “God has helped us through so many people.”

Nehemiah’s Vision is seeking corporate or individual sponsors for the dinner. For more information, to purchase tickets or to inquire about becoming an event sponsor, call 409-617-1038.