What makes Port Royal Strong? The principle of service first makes Port Royal stronger and able to tackle the recovery process. It is a simple solution and at the same time an enormous task. We choose to apply the service first principle when and where it matters most: our community, our schools, and our families. Honoring our principles and honoring our community after Harvey’s devastation has created a strong foundation for our employees. Community service has allowed us to take, not just service first, but all our values to a new level. We have set our standards high, we have demonstrated our commitment, and we reflect our core values and mission- excellence.  

Our teams are striving for success in every aspect, personal and professional, and we are eager for every opportunity to help our community recover and prosper. We receive daily messages from members of our community who are appreciative of the Port Royal family and our efforts.

We have been fortunate enough to be able to partner with The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, The Coastal Bend Food Bank and the Port Aransas Community Center. We began at the Port Aransas Community Center, and after a successful few weeks, we decided it was time to expand our efforts. The first Friday at The Salvation Army was a challenge, we were not sure they would be able to accommodate the many generous team members willing and able to participate. They were excited and thankful that we had such a large group willing to help. After anxiously waiting an entire day, we heard back from Yamid the Volunteer Coordinator, with the message, “Thank you so much for all your help, they were amazing”. It was wonderful and uplifting to hear those words and we knew this was a huge step for our team. We would now be able to take Community Service to another level, and send more help to Corpus Christi and perhaps other impacted areas.

Next, we collaborated with Habitat for Humanity. The first day we helped with the restoration of a home. This was a good experience for our employees. A few days later our team was sent to “Habitat for Humanity Restore” and they returned with a lot of feedback.  The positive energy from the Habitat for Humanity team trickled down to our team members, making it one of their favorite places to service. Sorting, taking inventory and making a small case has proven to be a truly rewarding experience.

After a successful week of community service work, it was time to expand our community service journey. Our new work place would be, The Coastal Bend Food Bank. After communicating with Joel, the Community Service Coordinator, it seemed apparent that they would be a great organization to work with. In only one day, our team members were raving and most could not wait for the chance to go back. Those who have not had the chance to do community service are eager to serve the community there.

The opportunity to be a part of a bigger cause, and help those in need is such a rewarding and satisfying experience. Not only are our teams helping the community, but they are helping themselves by expanding their horizons.