Ella '28 Volunteers with Post Hurricane-Helene Efforts in North Carolina
Shoutout to Ella H. '28, who, along with her mother, Sarah, volunteered in North Carolina post-Hurricane Helene. Before leaving, Ella reached out to her friends and classmates, Sophia '28, Corinne '28, and Laci '28, and asked if they would be donate teen supplies for others in need.
Here's what Ella said about the experience.
"Our family spent a lot of time in western North Carolina on vacation. When I first saw the news reports, I was heartbroken. Our family was displaced by a flood a few years ago. It wasn’t nearly as bad, but I remember how hard it was to leave our home. The people in North Carolina lost everything in a matter of hours. Horrible."
While there, Ella volunteered with debris cleanup, packing out for a family whose home was destroyed, organized donations at a community center and brought donations to those who had been hit hard, but had not yet received help.
"There was so much debris everywhere! Of course, there were trees and power lines down, but it was also stuff from peoples’ homes; their beds, toys, blankets, clothes, cars even. It’s hard to describe. It’s like the destruction was so big, it made me feel small (by comparison)," said Ella. "I learned that if everyone comes together to help, we can get a lot done! Something as small as spending a few hours sorting and organizing clothes in a community center means so much to the people we served. We learned about their lives, not just about what happened to them during the storm. They are just like us! It was important to my mom and me that we treat them the way we would want to be treated."
In addition to the donations from her Collegiate friends, they also brought donations from their church, ballet school and neighborhood.
Way to go, Ella! We 💙 that you exhibited what being a true Oak is...a responsible, engaged and community-minded Oak.
