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Diary of a Dynamic Duo
10/25/2021
Some heroes wear capes. Some wear work gloves and safety glasses. Most just want to do a good deed for those in need, often because someone else once extended them a helping hand.
David Rose, an analyst in Entergy Mississippi’s economic development department, will tell you he’s no hero. Erica Jackson, a senior project manager at Entergy, may beg to differ.
Rose says he’s just a regular guy trying to teach his 10-year-old son, Alex, the importance of volunteering to help others and the value of a hard day’s work. Jackson says they were a godsend after Hurricane Ida heavily damaged her family’s southeast Louisiana home. While she’s weathered many storms, Ida was the first to cause significant damage to her home. When she was finally able to return and begin cleaning up the debris, the Roses were there to help.
Hurricane Ida: David and Alex's Volunteer Diary
“We were overwhelmed,” Jackson said. “David and Alex came from several hours away to help my family and that was a big deal to us. I was amazed at how hard a worker Alex was all day long. David had done this before, so he knew how to help us. You don’t find people like them much anymore. We’re so grateful for their help!”
Together, the dynamic duo helped Jackson clear rubble from her home and yard. They picked up shingles that had blown off the roof, pulled moldy sheetrock from the house and identified safety hazards to address. David saw trampoline parts scattered throughout the yard and worried they could damage Jackson’s lawn equipment. So, Alex meticulously searched the yard to retrieve all the springs. That attention to the smallest detail meant a lot to Jackson.
The elder Rose knows how she feels, with extreme devastation and so much to do. He was in the same position after Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers from a Pennsylvania church group helped him clean up and since then, he’s vowed to help others in the same situation.
“If I’m able to help someone who has lost their home and belongings in a hurricane, I will because I’ve been in their shoes,” he said. “I thought this would be a good experience to share with Alex. He was a trooper! I’m so proud of how hard he worked and what we accomplished together for the Jackson family.”
The day got a thumbs up from Alex, too. “I loved using tools to work on the fence and ripping out sheetrock,” he said. “It was good helping someone else.”
It seems like the Roses may have just begun a father-son tradition of paying it forward through volunteerism.
