App State Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs J.J. Brown, second from right, works with App State student volunteers to clean up the Boone United Trail during the university’s Student Day of Service - Together We Are Mountain Strong event on Oct. 19. Photo by Chase Reynolds
App State first-year student Alex Hyatt, an environmental science major from Graham, helps clear debris and downed tree limbs from the Boone United Trail as part of the university’s Student Day of Service - Together We Are Mountain Strong event, held Oct. 19. Photo by Chase Reynolds
App State’s Stevie Watson, a junior interior design major from Charlotte, clears mud from the property of Wahoo’s Adventures in Todd as part of the university’s Student Day of Service - Together We Are Mountain Strong , held Oct. 19. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Logan Varker, building area coordinator in App State University Housing, left and Anindita Das, First Year Seminar lecturer in University College, work together to move a log as part of the riverbank cleanup at Green Valley Community Park in Todd during App State’s Student Day of Service - Together We Are Mountain Strong event on Oct. 19. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
App State students clear downed tree limbs at Green Valley Community Park in Todd as part of the university’s Student Day of Service - Together We Are Mountain Strong event, held Oct. 19. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
Pictured in the foreground, Bella deBlaquiere, a senior App State biology major from Wake Forest, volunteers at Wahoo’s Adventure, a tubing and whitewater rafting adventure company in Boone, during App State’s Student Day of Service - Together We Are Mountain Strong event, held Oct. 19. deBlaquiere helped clean mud from inner tubes that were impacted by flooding from Hurricane Helene. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
App State sophomore Abby Platts, a hospitality and tourism management major from Cary, organizes supplies at Hospitality House of Northwest North Carolina in Boone as part of the university’s Student Day of Service - Together We Are Mountain Strong event, held Oct. 19. Photo by Chase Reynolds
App State’s Scott Varga, a first-year cybersecurity major from Pinehurst, carries wood while volunteering at Grace Builders Woodlots in Boone as part of the university’s Student Day of Service - Together We Are Mountain Strong event, held Oct. 19. Photo by Chase Reynolds
BOONE, N.C. — Nearly three weeks after Hurricane Helene hit Boone, Appalachian State University welcomed its students back to campus — and they returned with a desire to serve.
On Saturday, Oct. 19, App State’s Office of Community-Engaged Leadership held its Student Day of Service - Together We Are Mountain Strong event, coordinating the volunteer work of around 175 students who collectively completed over 500 hours of community service at 15 organizations and locations across the High Country.
All volunteer work directly benefited hurricane relief and recovery efforts in local communities, with students providing services in a variety of ways, from river and trail cleanups to sorting relief supplies at distribution centers.
“Volunteering means being a part of something bigger than yourself, and I think it’s important for everyone to try it at some point,” said student volunteer Rebekah Payne. “It always feels refreshing to make a positive impact on the community.”
Payne, a junior ecology, evolution and environmental biology major from Jacksonville, worked with Blue Ridge Conservancy in the Paddy Mountain area in West Jefferson to help clean up hiking trails by raking leaves and clearing limbs from downed trees.
Students also volunteered at the following organizations and sites:
- App State University Recreation’s Broadstone facility
- Blowing Rock Conference Center
- Boone United Trail at Boone United Methodist Church
- Cornerstone Summit Church
- Grace Builders Woodlots
- Green Valley Community Park
- Hardin Park Elementary School
- Hospitality House of Northwest North Carolina
- RiverGirl Fishing Co.
- State Line Resource Station and Rural Distribution Center
- Wahoo’s Adventures
- Watauga Habitat for Humanity
- Watauga Riverkeeper
- Wildwood Agile Learning Community
App State first-year student Sarina Prather, a communication sciences and disorders major from Wake Forest, volunteered at the Blowing Rock Conference Center to help clear trees and debris on the center’s property. She said she felt called to serve after feeling frustrated by the disconnect of being home while the App State and Boone community struggled with damages.
App State sophomore Blanca Serrano, of Durham, a building sciences major and student volunteer coordinator in Watauga Residential College, volunteers at Cornerstone Summit Church in Boone, organizing donated hurricane relief items. She was among about 175 App State students who took part in the university’s Student Day of Service - Together We Are Mountain Strong event, held Oct. 19, to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts in the High Country following Hurricane Helene. Photo by Chase Reynolds
“I wanted to physically help the community in any way I could,” said Prather. “Making such an impact and seeing fellow App State students come together in such large numbers was inspiring to see.”
Dr. Brent James, assistant director of community engagement in the Office of Community-Engaged Leadership, explained that one the goals for App State Day of Service events is for students to see what kind of work goes on in the community.
“That was especially relevant this time, because students saw the kind of damage that occurred outside of campus," said James. "To learn firsthand about the needs of the community and what they’re dealing with, and to be able to pitch in and help, can be such a positive experience.”
Madeleine Auditori, a junior psychology-social science major from Mebane, volunteered at University Recreation’s Broadstone facility to help move rocks that had been displaced due to hurricane-induced flooding of the nearby Watauga River.
“I wanted to be more involved on campus, meet more people and be part of something that would benefit this community,” said Auditori. “After the hurricane, participating in the Day of Service had so much more meaning. I feel lucky to be able to contribute and make people’s lives even the smallest bit easier, because so many people need all the help and hard work they can get right now.”
The Day of Service provided student volunteers with breakfast, lunch and transportation, with students discussing and reflecting on their experience at the event’s conclusion.
App State hosts multiple Day of Service events for students each academic year. Visit the Community-Engaged Leadership website to learn more about volunteer opportunities.
What do you think?
Share your feedback on this story.
‘Unified approach’ key to recovery, says Boone mayor
About the Office of Community-Engaged Leadership
The Office of Community-Engaged Leadership at Appalachian State University engages students in academic, experiential and community-oriented programs that enhance their capacity to serve and lead in socially responsible ways for the benefit of their local and global communities. The office comprises the former Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) and Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) offices. Learn more at https://cel.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
‘Unified approach’ key to recovery, says Boone mayor
