Clemson students and staff step up in droves to help victims of Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction through the Upstate of South Carolina, and when the winds and rains stopped after the storm, groups of Clemson students, faculty and staff - many facing their own powerless or damaged homes - rallied behind the communities impacted and mobilized resources to help their neighbors.

More than a dozen members of the Clemson University Forestry Club put the skills they've developed to good use, volunteering their time and expertise at the Connie Maxwell Children's Ministries campus in Greenwood, an orphanage that had sustained significant damage with many trees uprooted, blocking paths, and posing dangers to the children.

Forestry Club members showed up with their own tools to clear the debris and restore the landscape. In a heartwarming twist, family members of Andrew Brandon, a senior Forest Resource Management student who grew up in Georgetown, South Carolina, shared on social media that his great-grandmother was raised in that same orphanage.

Andrew Barton (second from left) with Forestry Club volunteers at the Connie Maxwell Children's Ministries. (Photo courtesy of Clemson University Forestry Club)

"Volunteering after Hurricane Helene was profoundly important to me because it allowed me to put my faith and work ethic into action," said Brandon. "I was deeply touched and surprised to learn that my great-grandmother had lived and grown up at this very orphanage, perhaps even playing beneath the same trees I was now clearing. I never had the chance to meet her as she passed away a year before I was born, but my mom tells me stories of how she was resilient while withering the storms of life. It reminds me that our past shapes our present and that we are all part of a larger story."

"One of the great things about helping other people is that it creates an opportunity not to focus as much on one's circumstances, but rather focus on doing whatever we can to leave our community a little better than we found it," said Julio Hernandez, assistant to the president for community outreach and engagement, who himself had the first floor of his house in Greenville flood and was without power for more than ten days.

Hernandez worked with employees from the City of Clemson and Clemson's alumni veteran organization, Clemson Corps, to clean up Gateway Park and bring food to the Littlejohn Community Center.

Julio Hernandez unloads bread at the Littlejohn Community Center. (Photo courtesy of Julio Hernandez)

Renee Lyons, director of the Clemson Science Outreach Center, took the lead to bring students from the College of Science to work alongside the Littlejohn Community Center staff to provide hundreds of hot meals to community members and city employees working long hours to clean up the town.

"The small and mighty team at the Littlejohn Community Center appreciated the Clemson support," said Hernandez, noting that the center's regular staff is only two or three people.

Meanwhile, on Sunday morning, an aid center was set up in Littlejohn Coliseum to provide food, water, electricity, hot showers, and ice. Tracy Arwood, associate vice president and chief ethics and compliance officer, managed the center.

She said students and staff poured through the doors of Littlejohn as soon as it opened, ready to help in any way.

"We had 20 to 25 staff members volunteering there all day, every day we were open," said Arwood. "On Monday, I had about 150 students show up wanting to help, and I only needed ten or fifteen, so we used who we could and sent the rest off to do good elsewhere in the community."

City of Clemson employees also pitched in, manning the concession stand all six days.

More than 1,000 people utilized the resources offered at the center, said Arwood.

"People from Pendleton, Anderson, Central, Spartanburg, and even towns in North Carolina like Black Mountain came," said Hernandez. "It was inspiring to see that people from all over knew they'd find help and community at Clemson, even if they weren't local residents."

Tracy Arwood (fourth from left, with fanny pack) poses with other staff members volunteering at Littlejohn Coliseum. (Photo courtesy of Tracy Arwood)

"I tried to sit and talk to every person that came in there because they were hurting," said Arwood, noting she could tell a story about everyone she spoke to.

There was Arlene, an older woman who lives in Pendleton by herself who was without power, water and electricity and just didn't want to be alone; There was Asa, an older gentleman in his 80s who needed food and water; There was the daughter whose mother has Parkinson's and needed a place to give her a warm shower.

And then there was the man in his 60's Arwood noticed sitting alone. When she went to introduce herself, he started crying without looking up.

"He had no power, water or internet, and they lived way out in the country. He kept saying, 'I can't believe I'm here asking for help. I'm a hard worker. I don't take handouts. There are people worse off than me, but I don't know what else to do.' I put my hand on his and said, 'Look, everybody's having a tough time right now, and that's exactly why we're here.'"

A few more of the many examples of Clemson Tigers pitching in to help after Helene include:

• Students affiliated with Fraternity and Sorority Life collaborated with Clemson Undergraduate Student Government to host a donation drive, collecting items for Clemson Community Care. More than 130 individual donations came in from students, clubs and even First Lady Beth Clements.
• More than two dozen students in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Program (ROTC) helped clear the backyard of retired computer science professor Eleanor Hare as well as several parks in the City of Clemson. Hare was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in computer science from Clemson and taught for 30 years at the University. Her husband, William (Bill) Hare, was a beloved mathematics professor for over 39 years.
• Students in the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences' Block and Bridle and Ag Mech clubs cleared yards and tree debris around Clemson.
• Packaging Science students volunteered to cut and build more than 300 drop boxes for goods collection sites that were used by charitable groups all over the Upstate.
• Student veterans teamed up with Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity members to distribute meals ready to eat (MREs) and water in the P5 parking lot next to the National Guard Armory.

Clockwise from top left: ROTC cadets clear a tree from a path, Students with Packaging Sciences load drop boxes, ROTC cadets clear debris, Forestry Club members clear a tree, ROTC cadets with Eleanor Hare (center right with walker), volunteers unload supplies in Littlejohn Coliseum.

The community service has not stopped. Many of these groups plan to keep helping out for as long as they can, until their neighbors' lives are back to normal. For example, the Forestry Club will be back out there this week clearing trees and restoring landscaping.

"I want people to know that no matter how small the action, it can ripple out and affect the lives of those around us," said Brandon. "Each of us has the ability to make a difference, and when we serve with intention and heart, we truly embody the spirit of community. I am thankful for my foundation and look forward to continuing to serve."

Those still in need or wanting to volunteer to help can find information here.

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