California has been devastated by the largest wildfire to ever hit the state, and one of the towns devastate by the fire was Paradise, California. The small town was nearly wiped out by the fires, but still they carried on.

The girls volleyball team for the Paradise Adventist Academy was determined not to let the fire keep them from playing in their semifinal championship match. They had no uniforms and no equipment because those were left behind during the rushed emergency evacuation.

But the team headed to Forest Lake Christian High School in Auburn anyway. However, they weren’t expecting what was about to happen once they arrived at the school.

What the Paradise Adventist Academy players didn’t know is that the other school knew the devastation the town and team had suffered and had hustled to surprise the team and their families.

Over the course of 24 hours, the team had gathered $16,000 in donations and when the Paradise Adventist Academy team arrived, the team was surprised with custom uniforms, knee pads, and socks.

Each girl was also gifted a $300 gift card along with truck loads of clothing and supplies for their family members. But the surprise wasn’t over just yet.

After the game was over, the players, coaches, and families were all invited to a banquet where the Forest Lake families served up warm food and lots of love to those who had just suffered so much loss.

The coach for Paradise Adventist, Jason Eyer, addressed the gymnasium full of people who had come out of support by saying thank you for everything they had done. “Your community is awesome and we are forever grateful,” he said.

This is the way it should be. We should all stick together and help each other out when times are tough. If you agree, please share this heartwarming story with your family and friends.