20 Years, 20 Stories – Meg Hinkley – To Have a Purpose
Years Active: 2013 – Present
“If ordinary people like me can learn skills and become helpful, anyone can,” said TEXSAR volunteer and Division Lead for North Texas, Meg Hinkley. It helps to have a heart to serve, which she says she sees in her fellow TEXSAR volunteers.
Meg joined TEXSAR in 2014 and became Division Lead in January 2024. Her leadership was integral to TEXSAR’s response to the Panhandle Wildfires in March 2024. It has been quite a journey from when she first joined.
“In 2014, there were some major tornadoes in Oklahoma. A good friend of mine and I wanted to help out so we started calling around to find a way to assist. Agencies and organizations would ask what kind of training we had. Training? We just wanted to help,” Meg said with a smile. “That is when I learned about the challenges that ‘spontaneous volunteers’ present to agencies that oversee emergency responses. People told us to look into SAR organizations. My friend then found TEXSAR. Neither one of us knew what SAR meant, but we soon learned.”
SAR – search and rescue – has played a significant role in Meg’s life ever since the 2014 experience. Her first mission after joining was the tragic Memorial Day Wimberley Flood event in 2015. “I knew then that TEXSAR was the right place to be. Training helps prepare you, and working with others helps you learn and grow continuously. It is hard to prepare for what you see. The flood event taught me that you have to be careful of how much of others’ pain you hold onto.” A personal experience taught her one of the most important lessons about working with people in pain.
Meg’s brother had passed away and she was trying to get a flight home. The flight was canceled for uncontrollable issues. “I sat on the floor at the airport, in tears. An airline crew member came over with a box of tissues and a bottle of water and simply sat on the floor next to me. Just being there was a comfort to me.”
She saw the importance of comfort during the wildfires. “Sometimes, the most important thing our team members did for others was to listen to their stories of loss and pain. I was so proud of them. I love watching team members grow and there was a lot of growth on that mission,” she said.
Meg has seen wildfires, floods and various mission conditions. Training plays a key role in preparedness. Learning basic search theory got me excited to learn more. There is so much to know about decision making, search and rescue techniques, logistics and incident management. The more you learn, the more fascinating this field is.”
Meg says it is important to have supportive friends and family. “Serving takes commitment, and it is important to have the support of others.” To Meg, something else makes all the time and energy worth it.
“It is helpful to have a purpose,” Meg said. “It is good to worry less about yourself and to be concerned about the needs of others. Service is part of my faith. I believe we are all called to serve; we are created and designed to help others. 
Learn more about TEXSAR at www.TEXSAR.org.
TEXSAR: 20 Years, 20 Stories, is a series of people-centric stories that celebrate the history of TEXSAR’s heroics and humanity as its volunteers continue their mission of ‘Texans helping Texans’ with Service above Self. The sequence of stories and profiles will come together in 2024 and 2025, celebrating the nonprofit’s 20th anniversary. To read more, click here.
