Keeping Up the Good Work
A group of employees recently spent a weekend donating school supplies and assisting in the ongoing cleanup efforts at a children’s home in western North Carolina.
Last fall, the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina captivated the attention of the state and the nation, and everyone wanted to lend a hand. But long after the news cycle ran its course and #Helene was no longer trending on social media, there was still much work to be done and many people who needed assistance.
That’s why the NC State Staff Senate Community Engagement and Outreach Committee pledged to keep the momentum going and to not forget about their neighbors to the west.
“Back when Helene hit western North Carolina, we had just started planning our year as a committee,” said Tenille Naumann, Staff Senate’s vice chair and a business officer in External Affairs, Partnerships and Economic Development. “We came up with some various ideas, but the biggest one that laid on the committee members’ hearts was not forgetting about that region once all the buzz and media coverage stopped. We had no idea what this would look like or turn into, but we all knew this is something we definitely wanted to pursue somehow, someway.”
Once the 2024-25 academic year concluded, the committee found itself with leftover book bags, school supplies and toys from other initiatives on campus. Thanks to a connection with NC State Extension, the committee decided to donate the supplies to the Black Mountain Home for Children, Youth and Families.
On July 25, a group of Staff Senators, members of the Wellness Champions program and other volunteers arrived in Black Mountain with a van full of school supplies, toys and other donations for the children’s home. They spent the afternoon unloading items, and the following Saturday they assisted with cleanup efforts at the facility.
“We were landscapers for the day,” Naumann said. “We cleaned the weeds from around the grounds of the home and thrift shop they run. We laid mulch, trimmed trees and spruced up the grounds. We all gained a profound respect for our landscapers in the community, especially in the mountains. Landscaping on the side of a mountain is not for the faint of heart. We were all feeling the soreness the next day, but it was all well worth it.”
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