Beta Club from flood damaged Ky. school gets help to attend convention

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - The Kentucky Beta Club Convention is this week in Lexington, and hundreds of students from across the Commonwealth are in town.

Thanks to a group of students from across the state, students from a flood-damaged school are learning the other side of giving back.

Last summer’s flooding destroyed Hindman Elementary School in Knox County.

“We were hit on so many different levels,” said Regan Conley of Hindman Elementary. “They were hit at home. They were hit emotionally. They lost material things. Then they came to school, and their school was destroyed.”

While dealing with their own losses at home, the students from Hindman never lost sight of the Beta Club mission of community service.

“I mean, these kids spent hours upon hours mucking out homes and businesses,” said Conley. “Sorting through families’ belongings to try to find something to salvage.”

While they were giving back, the students at East Hardin Middle School were working to do the same but for their fellow Beta friends.

“We kept talking to each other and communicating and becoming friends and the more we talked, my brain started thinking of other things,” said Molly Hazle of East Hardin Middle School. “I was like, ‘It would be really neat if we came down and visited you all. Let’s do pen pals.’”

The two classes met, exchanging shirts and social media accounts, and began building friendships.

“I said, ‘Hey, the convention is in Lexington now; maybe we’ll see you there.’ And she was like, ‘No, that’s just not in the cards for us. That’s a big expense and hasn’t been on our radar. I was like, ‘It’s going to be now,’” said Hazle.

So the East Hardin students raised $8,700 for the Hindman Beta Club to come to the convention. An act of kindness and giving back.

“We in Knott County have received so much kindness after the flood from everybody,” said Tiffany Perkins of Hindman Elementary. “This was just another thing on top of it. It was just so overwhelming.”

“Even though we’re in the same state, our paths would have never crossed,” said Hazle. “Now we have this bridge and connection, and it’s pretty amazing.”

The Beta Club Convention runs through Friday at the Central Bank Center.

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