Texas Baptist Men volunteers honored

SMITH COUNTY – Smith County officials awarded volunteers with Texans on Mission Disaster Relief Team with a Smith County Community Hero Award on Thursday, after the group helped more than 100 residents clean up their properties damaged by the severe weather in late May and early June. Texans on Mission Disaster Relief Team, historically called Texas Baptist Men, has worked all over Smith County for the past three weeks.

Incident Commander Jim Lawton, of Waxahachie, said they received 140 work orders from people requesting help clearing downed trees on their property. Several teams have worked to complete 100 of those work orders and will complete as many more as possible before they leave Smith County on Saturday.

Chainsaw teams from Tyler and Athens were joined by volunteers from Katy and Pittsburg, Texas, as well as from Louisiana and Arkansas, he said.

County Judge Neal Franklin and Emergency Management Coordinator Brandon Moore presented the group with the award Thursday morning.

“We appreciate you and the driving force behind your hard work helping the citizens of Smith County,” Franklin said.

Texans on Mission is a Christian ministry that was founded in 1967, and helps clean up disasters throughout Texas, according to http://www.texansonmission.org.

Team members who don’t live in the area have stayed at the First Baptist Church in Whitehouse.