GHS students volunteer after Panhandle wildfires Teens help rebuild fence for Wheeler couple

From left to right: Samuel Shaw, Colton Moore, Jayden Kitchens, Patrick Shaw. From left to right: Samuel Shaw, Colton Moore, Jayden Kitchens, Patrick Shaw. Photo: Courtesy Photo Photo: Courtesy Photo Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close GHS students volunteer after Panhandle wildfires 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Without creating an itinerary, four Greenwood High School students piled into a pickup and drove six hours to the Texas Panhandle. The group embarked on the unconventional spring break trip with a purpose: to help people rebuild after wildfires swept through the region.

Samuel Shaw, 18, heard about the damage and wanted to make a difference. His mom suggested he and his twin, Patrick, donate their time.

“You can see on TV how bad it is,” Samuel Shaw said. “If you were in that situation, you would want someone helping you.”

The brothers recruited friends Jayden Kitchens, 15, and Colton Moore, 18. The group drove the next day to Wheeler, a city about 100 miles northeast of Amarillo.

A local volunteer coordinator connected them with Sue and Mack Bentley, who lost about 50 acres of pasture and a half-mile of fencing.

“They were really happy to see us,” Samuel Shaw said. “Most of their cows probably would have gotten out because most of their posts burned down.”

The teenagers spent a day and a half helping Mack Bentley build a fence. Sue Bentley said her husband wouldn’t have been able to do the work on his own.

“I’m so grateful and amazed at how wonderful people are,” she said.

The experience also made a difference for the teenagers, according to Moore.

“It was humbling to see people from all over Texas delivering hay and supplies,” Moore said. “The guy we were helping got all choked up. He said it was the first time in his 74 years he ever asked for help.”

The friends had built fences in the past, but they said the volunteer project was more rewarding than previous ones. Patrick Shaw said going to the Panhandle made him realize the need for their volunteer efforts.

“I’ve grown up in the rodeo life and ranch life,” he said. “I know what to do. The farmers out there lost 100 head of cow or more with smoke inhalation. They’re losing money because they’re in the cattle business.”

Gov. Greg Abbott declared states of disaster for Wheeler and five other counties after the wildfires earlier this month.

Patrick Shaw said Texans joined together to assess damages and rebuild.

“My biggest takeaway is when a community needs help, people come together and make it work,” he said. “They need more. What we did with fencing didn’t help that much. If I didn’t have to come back, I would have stayed there the whole spring break.”

The twins aren’t the only members of the Shaw family who have pitched in. Shorty Shaw, their father and owner of Shorty’s Rental and Feed, donated fencing supplies to affected people. The business is also accepting contributions to cover the cost of sending additional materials from Midland to the Panhandle.

“So many people here are willing to drive up there,” Shorty Shaw said. “We just need donations to keep coming.”

The business owner also plans to volunteer in the Panhandle. He’s pleased his sons and their friends chose to assist others during the school break.

“I’m really proud,” Shaw said. “Not a lot of kids would do that. They wanted to do that.”