“…to be of service to my community, state, and nation…”By SM Monica C. Lozano, CAP
Coastal Bend—The typical hot summer days of June and July quickly became very wet and very costly for many South Texas residents. Heavy rains and flooding forced many families out of their homes and the Nueces River continues to stay above flood level. The Coastal Bend Texas Chapter of the American Red Cross stepped in to offer various avenues of assistance for these residents, and one South Texas cadet joined the troops to help in the disaster relief.
South Texas Cadet Airman Philip Lozano is currently in his second year of the Civil Air Patrol and is attached to the Corpus Christi Composite Squadron TX 026 in Corpus Christi, TX.
Looking to complete hours for a community service award, Cadet Lozano was informed by his mother that his help could be used to assist the flooded families. His job was to assist Red Cross volunteers handing out cleaning kits at a make shift distribution site. His first day on the job gave him a hard dose of reality many teens don’t often see. Lozano was learning first hand the results of natural disasters as he spoke with some of the victims of the floods. Moved by one young couple’s tragic story, Cadet Lozano didn’t think twice when asked by his parents if he’d be returning the next day to help out again.
“It’s really sad what this one couple had to go through,” Lozano said. “First their house gets flooded, they have to leave and when the police finally let them come back home, they find all their stuff gone! Their house had been robbed. It’s not right and I want to help.”
Cadet Lozano continued to volunteer above and beyond the hours he needed, giving up part of his summer vacation to assist and support families affected by the flood. Working from 0830 to 1600 hrs, Monday through Saturday, Cadet Lozano said he enjoyed riding in the American Red Cross’ Emergency Response Vehicle, but the feeling he got when personally thanked by the victims is what kept him going back.
“I am very proud of him, choosing to do a good deed for people he doesn’t even know, when he could be out skate boarding with friends,” Monica Lozano, Cadet Lozano’s mother, said. “My husband and I recognize how blessed we are to have someone at his age motivated to do this and not be compensated at all. I am amazed by his commitment. Even when I asked him to stay home so I didn’t have to get up early on my days off from work, there he was knocking on my bedroom door at 0700 hrs making sure I was getting ready so he could be at the Red Cross Chapter before 0800.”
Cadet Lozano informed this writer that he was not very happy when his parents told him he had to “take time off” from volunteering to join his family on their summer vacation! Cadet Lozano said he wishes his summer break was longer so he could “…go back to the Red Cross and see what else I can do to help.”
Cadet Lozano is 13 yrs old and in the eighth grade. He is an avid basketball player, enjoys cross country running and playing the saxophone and piano. He is the eldest of three children and son of Senior Member Monica Lozano.
Coastal Bend—The typical hot summer days of June and July quickly became very wet and very costly for many South Texas residents. Heavy rains and flooding forced many families out of their homes and the Nueces River continues to stay above flood level. The Coastal Bend Texas Chapter of the American Red Cross stepped in to offer various avenues of assistance for these residents, and one South Texas cadet joined the troops to help in the disaster relief.
South Texas Cadet Airman Philip Lozano is currently in his second year of the Civil Air Patrol and is attached to the Corpus Christi Composite Squadron TX 026 in Corpus Christi, TX.
Looking to complete hours for a community service award, Cadet Lozano was informed by his mother that his help could be used to assist the flooded families. His job was to assist Red Cross volunteers handing out cleaning kits at a make shift distribution site. His first day on the job gave him a hard dose of reality many teens don’t often see. Lozano was learning first hand the results of natural disasters as he spoke with some of the victims of the floods. Moved by one young couple’s tragic story, Cadet Lozano didn’t think twice when asked by his parents if he’d be returning the next day to help out again.
“It’s really sad what this one couple had to go through,” Lozano said. “First their house gets flooded, they have to leave and when the police finally let them come back home, they find all their stuff gone! Their house had been robbed. It’s not right and I want to help.”
Cadet Lozano continued to volunteer above and beyond the hours he needed, giving up part of his summer vacation to assist and support families affected by the flood. Working from 0830 to 1600 hrs, Monday through Saturday, Cadet Lozano said he enjoyed riding in the American Red Cross’ Emergency Response Vehicle, but the feeling he got when personally thanked by the victims is what kept him going back.
“I am very proud of him, choosing to do a good deed for people he doesn’t even know, when he could be out skate boarding with friends,” Monica Lozano, Cadet Lozano’s mother, said. “My husband and I recognize how blessed we are to have someone at his age motivated to do this and not be compensated at all. I am amazed by his commitment. Even when I asked him to stay home so I didn’t have to get up early on my days off from work, there he was knocking on my bedroom door at 0700 hrs making sure I was getting ready so he could be at the Red Cross Chapter before 0800.”
Cadet Lozano informed this writer that he was not very happy when his parents told him he had to “take time off” from volunteering to join his family on their summer vacation! Cadet Lozano said he wishes his summer break was longer so he could “…go back to the Red Cross and see what else I can do to help.”
Cadet Lozano is 13 yrs old and in the eighth grade. He is an avid basketball player, enjoys cross country running and playing the saxophone and piano. He is the eldest of three children and son of Senior Member Monica Lozano.
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