Rebecca Kennedy and Mason Flippin
BearAid is Baylor’s disaster relief outreach team, where students partner with Baylor Spiritual Life to meet needs in Texas and across the country after national disasters like tornadoes, ice storms and floods. In this Baylor Connections, Rebecca Kennedy, Assistant Dean of Spiritual Life, and Mason Flippin, a Baylor senior and BearAid team member, take listeners inside BearAid’s work and mission as they serve neighbors in need.
Transcript
DEREK SMITH:
Hello and welcome to Baylor Connections, a conversation series with the people shaping our future. Each week we go in depth with Baylor Leaders, professors, and more discussing important topics in higher education, research and student life. I'm Derek Smith, and today we are talking about a special Baylor initiative that serves others, it's called BearAid. BearAid was formed in 2020 to take food and supplies to individuals in quarantine. Since then, this outreach of Baylor Spiritual Life has involved students in a variety of service trips to address needs in Texas, Louisiana, and Kentucky after weather events like tornadoes, ice storms and more. Joining us today on the program are two individuals who have been a big part of that. Rebecca Kennedy, Baylor's Assistant Dean of Spiritual Life and Missions and Associate Chaplain in Baylor Spiritual Life. Joining her today is a Baylor student, Mason Flippin, a rising senior journalism major from Robinson, Texas. He's visited Mayfield, Kentucky with BearAid to serve with his fellow students thereafter a devastating tornado. BearAid's short-term goal is to continue to help Waco and Texas communities when natural disaster relief is needed through an on-call student team, with long-term plans to address to advance the project globally. Really pleased to have you both with us today on the program. Rebecca, Mason, thanks for taking the time to join and share about this really great program.
REBECCA KENNEDY:
Good to be here with you, Derek.
MASON FLIPPIN:
Thanks for having us.
DEREK SMITH:
Well, it's great to have you both here to get the Baylor faculty, and staff, and student perspective, both sides of this great work. And Rebecca, I want to start with you, take us a little further into BearAid than I just did. How would you describe it, and how it works?
REBECCA KENNEDY:
Okay. Well, I came into this organically. I knew very little about disaster relief. I know global missions and that's what I've been doing and operating for the last 15 or so years. So as I began to learn more about disaster relief, I learned that there are four stages. There's rescue, relief, recovery, and rebuild. So given some of the parameters of our work with college students, it became clear that the practical and feasible stages for us to focus would be in those two middle sections called Relief and Recovery. So our BearAid is twofold. We have a relief effort, which is short-term response within a few days of a disaster. We also make it within a three to five mile, or I'm sorry, three to five hour drive from campus, and it's a weekend project. So for example, a tornado hits Toledo, we make a call out to our short-term relief team and say, "We're going to leave campus at 5:00 PM on Friday and we're going to return Sunday afternoon. We need 20 volunteers who can go." And then the second phase of that is the recovery phase, and that looks very similar to our one to two week mission trips. They're led by faculty or staff and they work on a project that's a few months or even up to two years after a disaster depending on the nature of the disaster. So that work is geared more toward house cleanup, tear down, if it's a flood, or hurricane, you're mucking out the house, some minor construction, moving construction materials from one location to another. So it's long-term projects, and students are drawn to different stages with little overlap in between the two.
DEREK SMITH:
So you can have impromptu needs quickly, but then also longer term projects, as you said.
REBECCA KENNEDY:
Right, exactly.
DEREK SMITH:
It was created in 2020. Was it always intended to be a long-term program or was there a time when you discovered we all realized it could be a lasting program?
REBECCA KENNEDY:
So, let's talk a little bit about how it all began, and it's no coincidence that I recommended that Mason be on this program with us today, because it was really Mason's mother, Polly Flippin, who's my colleague, that we were together and the idea was birthed through our conversation. So this began when we were literally grounded from travel. So 2020, we had teams go out during spring break and thankfully we got them all back just before everyone was sheltered in place. So as I began to think about how we would engage students, we didn't know at that time how long the pandemic would last, what would be the lasting effects of it, when we would be able to travel again. And so it was during that time period that Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana. So Polly and I were talking and texting from home and said, "Hey, I think we should take supplies down to Houma, Louisiana. So we drove, just the two of us, in a suburban packed full of supplies, and it was completely eye-opening. We didn't know what we were kind of driving into and we saw a tremendous need that our students had the energy and passion to fill. So on the way back from that trip, as we began to brainstorm and think about how we might be able to do this, that kind of work, I said, "We can't be a burden on a community that has lost everything. So we need to find a way to be self-sufficient." So when Polly said, "What we need is a trailer that could feed a large number of people, including our own students," I knew then that we were onto something. So a month later we announced we were going to do a fall break to LaPlace, Louisiana and 150 students signed up, and that's when I knew that students would respond.
DEREK SMITH:
Mason, I want to bring you into the conversation here. Obviously, I think you were aware from this program from the very get go with your family's involvement, but from your vantage point, what did it look like seeing other students kind of hear the call go out and to jump on board? What did that look like to you, and what did that feel like to you?
MASON FLIPPIN:
No, it was really awesome. Obviously, I didn't have to go very far to figure out about it, like you said, but for me it was always something that I knew I wanted to be involved with, but I didn't know how many other people were going to be interested in this sort of thing. And how many people from Baylor would, say, for our Mayfield trip, be interested in taking the time. That they have designated a week break and spring break, and take that and use it to serve others. I didn't know how many people would be interested in that. So for me personally, it was really cool to see some of the fellow students at Baylor step up and take that time and set it away from themselves and put it towards good for others. And that was just a really interesting perspective and it really showed, I think, one of Baylor's ideals of serving, and that you would take this time that you have, just a small break in the middle of a long semester, and it's stressful, and you're getting prepared for midterms and finals, and that you would take that and set it aside, and use that to focus on others instead of yourself.
DEREK SMITH:
Mason, I know you've been to Mayfield, Kentucky after a tornado. Have you been elsewhere with BearAid as well?
MASON FLIPPIN:
I have not. I've been to Mayfield twice, but that's all I've been able to do so far.
DEREK SMITH:
Well, you've been to Mayfield, I know Becky talked about Houma, I know after ice storms in Austin, tornadoes in Salado. So I know you're not talking for every trip, but about regarding Mayfield, Kentucky a little bit, you and your fellow students, would you describe for us the settings you found yourself in? The situations, you leave Waco, you hit the interstate, and you're immersed in someone else's world where there's great need, what was that like for you?
MASON FLIPPIN:
It's definitely eye-opening for sure. It's something that you have to kind of process in waves and it's something that I think you process a lot more of looking back on it towards the end of the trip and you kind of start to see it in the holistic picture of what it was. So the first time we went, we got to Mayfield, and we go downtown. We drove 10, 12 hours straight, a very long day, and we drive straight to downtown where most of the damage was, and you see what looks like parts of a town coming into it, there's nothing really out of the ordinary, some things strewed away, and then all of a sudden you round a corner and there's just rows and rows of just debris and rubble and just this entire downtown area was destroyed and there's nothing left standing. But there's lights working. There's a CVS right across from where there's nothing that's completely standing and open, and so it's just a really shock and awe factor when we first got there. And then once you get to integrate with the community and see the people that you're helping, that's where I found, and I think a lot of the people on my trip and others would agree, that what you really take away from it is the people and the impact that you can have on people in these dire situations, where they just lost everything. But I think what you don't expect when you get there, but you realize when you leave is what you give, but what you take away with you, and the experience and the learning and just kind of realizing that even though these people just went through the worst imaginable situation possible, and they just lost everything, they have so much kindness and so much willingness to thank for you being there. That's one thing we also discovered while we were there, is it's very hard to receive help. It's very hard to receive help when you don't want to expect it. And so being able to be that bridge for them is a really, really nice aspect because you can see them wind down a little and welcome the help, versus fighting it when it first happened, I'd assume.
DEREK SMITH:
You know Mason, you talked about the people and that impact, what are some moments that stand out, whether it's situations that our neighbors in Kentucky or other places find themselves in, or just conversations you had? Take that in any direction that really kind of... Moments that really kind of left an imprint on you.
MASON FLIPPIN:
Absolutely. So I think the biggest impact I've had was during my first trip to Kentucky when we were serving, I think it was like a food can drive, they turned the local fairground into just an all around need base grocery store, that you can come and get what you need, no cost to you, and you can just come shop and give a little bit of that normalcy back to the people. So it's not like you're just going to a donation site and picking up from that. And that was one thing they focused on a lot, was making it something of normalcy to try and help build that back for the people that live there. And so I think one of the biggest things I took away from there was just the people, all of the local people that I met, and some of the conversations that I was able to have and the people that were there helping as well from all over the world that had come in. There was a gentleman from New Jersey, who me and another person on the trip helped a lot and worked with. And he was so kind and welcoming and just showed us everything that we could do to help, and he was so funny and cracking jokes the entire time. And then some of the people that we met there would just have these deep conversations with us and just kind of peel back about what they were going through. I know there was this older lady who was so friendly, she was working, but she had just lost her home and she was helping others. She lost her home in this tornado and she still took the kindness out of her heart to go and work with others, and I think that really showed the impact that people have on each other is, you know you just lost all your things, but you still love people that much, that you want to go out of your way and instead of recovering for yourself, you're going to help others do it first.
DEREK SMITH:
Great insights. And Rebecca, I want to ask you the same thing. Where all have you gone with BearAid, and what are some of the moments that stand out for you as it relates to serving the people in the communities?
REBECCA KENNEDY:
So like Mason, I've been to Mayfield twice to lead a team there with Polly, and we've also taken a group to Jacksboro, Texas just for the day when a tornado hit there. And then been to Rolling Fork, Mississippi. We got there I guess three days after they were hit. Very much like Mayfield where it wiped out the entire town. And we also have done some local things, and it's not only out of disaster but out of need. So we have partnered with Mission Waco, and taken our trailer down to feed breakfast to Church Under The Bridge folks. And we've also taken it to Austin, Texas when there was a winter storm to help homeless. But for me it was Mayfield and Houma, Jacksboro, Rolling Fork. And I think the thing that stands out to me is Mayfield, much like Mason, and there's several reasons. The first time I visited was just a couple of weeks after the tornado hit, so it was January of 2022. And I took two staff members with me, and as we were driving into town, just like Mason said, you see some tin here, some branches there, and then when you turn a corner, it looked very much like a war zone, as if an army of tanks rolled through the downtown area. It was mass destruction that I had never seen before. And so the three of us drove around in silence just trying to process and take everything in. We knew the story about the candle factory that had been the site where people lost their lives. So we were looking for that location following GPS, we couldn't find it, so it wasn't until I saw a parking lot with large tanker trucks on their sides and the smashed cars that they had rolled over that I realized we were in the parking lot of what had been the candle factory. I'm assuming it was the very first thing they cleaned up just because of the fatalities. So we sat there in silence, in tears, for quite a while. And then when I returned in March with a team of students, including Mason, I took them to the spot that first day after church, and we had a time of prayer for that community and the families that lost loved ones. So it was a divinely powerful moment for me.
DEREK SMITH:
This is Baylor Connections. We are visiting with Rebecca Kennedy, Assistant Dean of Spiritual Life and Missions and Associate Chaplain in Baylor Spiritual Life and Mason Flippin, a Baylor student, a rising senior journalism major from Robinson, Texas. Rebecca, you view it from... You see kind of two lenses, you see the people being served in the community and that impact, but also the impact that it's having on the students. What are some of your observations as you interact with the Baylor students who take the time to serve?
REBECCA KENNEDY:
It's interesting that you asked me that question because I'm just sitting here looking at Mason that I've known since he was in fourth grade. Now this is a little bit different situation because worked with his mom Polly for that long, and I've known him all those years and as I'm listening to him answer your questions, I am somewhat emotional because I've seen the growth in him, and the way he sees the world, which is different than when he was in the fourth grade. You've grown up Mason, but I also see that in a short time with students. It was one of the things that I missed when I began, became the assistant dean and moved more into the administration role, so I'm thankful that I have this opportunity that I can still be with students as they experience these things because it truly can be transformational. I've seen students have these experiences and decide to change their major because of it. I've seen students and heard students say, "Because of this experience, I want to be more serious about my major and how I can serve people." So it's hard to do this kind of work and not be changed in some way. So that for me is... I love the work that we do and that we're able to go in and help a community, but more importantly to me, because of the work that I do, is seeing the lasting impact that it has on our students.
DEREK SMITH:
Mason, to build on what she said there, you talked about processing what you see in kind of different waves. What are some of the ways that Spiritual Life and Rebecca, or just your fellow classmates, that you all work together, to process what it is that you're seeing as you do what you're doing?
MASON FLIPPIN:
Yeah, I think that was one thing that was really a nice aspect of our trip. The first time we went to Kentucky, we had been given this little packet of things that we could take with us from Spiritual Life. So it was a little card, a little reflection book, and a little journal. And so I know there was several of us on the trip that would take time out of our day and kind of write in that journal, and it was pre-made, and it gave you little prompts like, "What did you do today? This is what experience? How do you feel? How do you feel changed? What did you experience? What stood out to you?" And things like that. And it was really nice to sit down at the end of the day and be thoughtful about what I had seen and what we had done, and kind of write that down and be able to go back and look at that. And I know also on that trip, we would sit down at the end of every day. The place where we were staying, it was basically like a summer camp. Lodging was great. We had this communal area where we could come in and hang out as a group and just get to know each other, and we really meshed well in that area, and we got to know each other. And then at the end of each day, we would go back to that same spot and then have a really deep reflections on what we had seen and decompress. And I know Becky did a really fantastic job in initiating that conversation for us, and really helped drive and to us what we were seeing, and how we saw what we saw would change us. And it made us think more about it the more we got into the trip.
DEREK SMITH:
Great insights there, Mason. And as we end in the final few minutes of the program, Becky, I want to ask, you mentioned you've added the trailer, the trailer provides a great resource, and we know there's never going to be a shortage of opportunities to serve. So as you look in the weeks and years ahead, what are some ways you see, BearAid building on what you've done so far?
REBECCA KENNEDY:
So one of the things that we've started doing is connecting with local emergency management professionals, not only in Waco but in Texas, national agencies and organizations, because one, we want to learn. Again, this is not our area of expertise, any of us. We've learned a lot, some of it's just through mistakes, but really, once you get into it it's a small field, and a lot of people are connected. So one of the partnerships that we have is what used to be Texas Baptist Men with the yellow shirts. So all the Baptists listening out there will probably know what I'm talking about. Now they're called Texans On Mission, and they're out of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. They are the disaster relief arm of the BGCT. So we've had some of their leaders come down and train our students. So we want our students to be prepared knowing that this is not their full-time thing, of course, they're full-time students, but we want to be as prepared as possible. And so long term I see us, like you said, I mean, storms are more frequently and they're more severe in some ways, so we want to be able to do this. Show our love and care as a university. I think this is one more opportunity that Baylor can do that.
DEREK SMITH:
And if students are interested in learning more, if there are any individuals who want to play a role in helping BearAid grow, or get needed supplies, or anything like that, what are some of the best ways to do that?
REBECCA KENNEDY:
So we will be communicating through all of Baylor social media, normal ways. Beginning of school if you're interested, this is how you can be involved. But also I would say reach out to myself, reach out to Mason, come to Spiritual Life. We're a small department so anybody can point you in the right direction. If it's something you want to do, you can do it one time, you can do it many times, you can do it for a week, you can do it for a weekend. So come try it out. We'll prepare you, we'll train you, and it's very rewarding.
DEREK SMITH:
That's wonderful. A lot of great work being done. We hope people will take a look at getting involved. Well, Rebecca, Mason, I really appreciate your time today. Thanks for joining us and thanks for the great work you've done.
REBECCA KENNEDY:
Thank you, Derek.
DEREK SMITH:
Thanks. Thank you both very much. Rebecca Kennedy, assistant Dean of Spiritual Life and missions and Associate Chaplain in Baylor Spiritual Life and Mason Flippant, a rising senior journalism major Baylor student, our guest today on Baylor Connections. I'm Derek Smith. A reminder, you can hear this and other programs online at Baylor.edu/connections and you could subscribe to the program on iTunes. Thanks for joining us here on Baylor Connections.