12:47 PM EDT on Monday, August 23, 2004

Vanessa Coria / 13 News

Teens from Hampton Roads were headed south Saturday to help the victims recover from Hurricane Charley, right in one of the hardest hit areas.

Jill Davis is among a group of Ocean View Baptist Church members volunteering to do relief work in Florida. Davis is only taking what's necessary for the trip. She’s not taking summer clothes and beach gear. She’s bringing boots, bug spray and a sleeping bag.

"I'm going there to work,” Davis said. “I'm going there to actually do something."

The youth pastor at the church, Drew Odom, called this trip the “Florida Mission Project" and said that they wouldn't be able to pull it off without the help of their local community.

"We decided that this time we felt strongly enough about it,” Odom said. “We felt a call - that just wasn't enough, so we decided we were going to head down ourselves. And, instead of give money we were going to give our time and our efforts and our sweat equity."

So far, the community has provided gas money for the church bus and even cash.

Supplies like soap, toothpaste, deodorant, batteries and diapers are what they need most.

Everything they collect will be loaded up on the church van.

"Basically the ride down is going to be a little bit tight - a little bit uncomfortable,” Odom said. “But, only at the expense that we're being able to take all of these resources down."

That’s not a problem for Davis. She's checking her emotions at the door and ready for the destruction Charley left behind.

"I think this kind of thing is great,” Davis said. “I think people that actually do this all the time are the heroes of today, and now I get to be part of that."

Once they get on the road, you can check out daily journal entries and photos through a link on the church’s website at oceanviewbaptist.org.