NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State softball assistant Kaylee Guidry wanted to organize a trip for the Lady Demons to help her native Livingston Parish, the area most affected by the recent Louisiana floods.
 
But her team was one step ahead of her, making a suggestion that resulted in Saturday's trek to aid families in the neighborhood behind Amite Baptist Church in Denham Springs.
 
Guidry, a Walker native and Walker High alum, connected with the church through a family friend to identify two houses in need of muscle from 22 Lady Demons.
 
"(Junior shortstop Hailee Rhodes) called me after a team dinner and said the team wanted to help," said Guidry, who already made several trips to Livingston Parish to assist friends and family in clean-up efforts. "They said they wanted to get their hands dirty, so I tried to get them everything they needed so all they'd have to worry about was working hard, which they did.
 
"I was super excited about (the trip) because it was their idea. They experienced the platform we can have outside of playing ball and going to school – the things we can do to brighten somebody else's day."
 
The student-athletes scraped floors, removed nails from drywall, sorted through water-logged possessions and swept and vacuumed debris as part of their tasks.
 
Freshman Elise Vincent and twin Adele hadn't been able to return to their native Vermilion Parish, where friends and neighbors are underwater in the town of Maurice.
 
But Elise saw an opportunity to support fellow Louisianans in need.
 
"My house didn't take any water, but my town and my church were underwater," Elise said. "I know how it's affected them, but helping people I didn't know was beneficial, too.
 
"My job was to remove nails with (senior Michaela Johnson), but we had more teammates join us once they found out that's where the cool air was. I hadn't gotten a chance to talk to a lot of teammates until now, so it was a real bonding experience."
 
Fellow freshman Hayley Barbazon knows the impact of receiving a helping hand.
 
The Belle Chasse native's house was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
 
"It was really important to me to do something," Barbazon said. "I felt humbled to be able to go down there and help … because people came and helped us.
 
"I know how it feels to get that help – it means everything, no matter how much or how little we were able to do."
The team split into two groups to assist in two separate houses.
 
In one home, both owners sported back braces after undergoing surgeries.
 
"They shouldn't have to be doing this by themselves," Barbazon said. "We wanted to give them a break so they wouldn't have to bend over.
 
"We spent multiple hours scraping stuff off the floors. Some teammates had power tools, but I had a little pocket knife thing."
 
Amid the havoc and the amount of unsalvageable items, student-athletes were able to bring a measure of joy by finding things families thought were lost.
 
"There was a lady that loved having tea parties for little girls at their church," said senior Jordan  Rains. "She feared it was all gone … because the big glass case where they were kept fell and shattered.
 
"But so many pieces of china were still in perfect condition. We found a wedding plate from the day they got married that her sister made. For all the things that were damaged, certain things were still intact."
 
In another house, a collection of Disney movies and items were treasured keepsakes.
 
The group visited former Lady Demon Natalie Landry, a Denham Springs native whose family home took water as high as its attic.
 
Rains, who could describe what she saw only as "heartbreaking," said experiences like Saturday's relief trip would be some of her most treasured memories at Northwestern State.
 
"It made me open my eyes to how much we put into material possessions and how quickly that can be taken away," said Rains, a Houston native. "You realize how blessed you are and how much we take things for granted when something like this happens to you or someone you know.
 
"This experience also allowed us to serve and influence in a different kind of setting than normal. We're humans before we're athletes … and in four years when softball is over, what we do in our community and in places like (Denham Springs) will take us much further than the ability to play softball."
 
On the ride back to Natchitoches, one vehicle of Lady Demons were on the receiving end of kindness.
 
Senior Bayley Sheppard had a flat tire, and a mechanic who happened to be at the same gas station helped the Lady Demons return home safely.
 
"We blew out a tire on the way back, and a lady approached us," Barbazon said. "She had family affected by the flood, and this was the first day she was able to make the trip down.
 
"She was kind enough to help us get two new tires."