On Saturday afternoon, a team of eager young football players stepped off their bus in front of the North End Zone at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium.



They weren't Texas or San Jose State players, who would face off on the field that afternoon, but boys from Dickinson, Texas, who were taking a break from the destruction that Hurricane Harvey brought their community just weeks prior.



The trip was organized by Texas alumna Kimberley Yancy when she learned that the university was offering free tickets to the game for those who were displaced by the storm. She immediately took to social media to spread word and assembled a group from Dickinson.



"Once I saw that, I thought it would be a great impact just to give them some respite, because it's been tough," Yancy said.



Hurricane Harvey ravaged the city of Dickinson, located 28 miles southeast of Houston, forcing a mandatory evacuation order for residents and closures of area schools. Yancy said that many from Dickinson lost their homes and belongings, but have still helped in their community following the storm.



Jathan Caldwell volunteered at a local church handing out clothes and distributing food following Hurricane Harvey.



"Just riding around the neighborhoods and seeing other people's houses, it really hurts," Caldwell said. "But it feels great just to know that people really care and they're making that extra effort to help others."



For Reginald Batiste, who attended the game with his son, the game offered an escape from the havoc that had flooded his home and left his family in a hotel.



"Everything has been really thrown out of normalcy and been really crazy coming out of the week," Batiste said. "So coming to Texas today, watching the game, it puts a little bit back in place of having a normal life."



As the group watched the arrival of the Texas Football team during the Stadium Stampede, they were approached by former Texas quarterback and Dickinson-native Donnie Little. He had led the Dickinson High School football team to a Class 3A State Championship in 1977, and knew firsthand what the trip meant to those from the community.



"It's phenomenal that Texas stepped up," Little said. "Some of them would have never attended a UT game if it wasn't for this marvelous opportunity."



Lois Jones, a school social worker for many of the affected areas around Houston, said that being at the Texas game was helping better the bad situation for many of the boys. As the group found their way toward the stadium, she offered her thoughts on the future of Dickinson and its community members.



"New leaders come out of tragedy," Jones said. "So we brought some leaders down who are ready to make a difference, and Hurricane Harvey can't stop us."