Though the beach and relaxation seem like the ideal Spring break trip for most college students, a group of students from the University of North Georgia spent their Spring Break on a disaster relief trip to Spartanburg, South Carolina.  

Last September, Hurricane Helene left Spartanburg with extensive damage.

Spartanburg City says, “A total of 170 structures received significant structural damage during the storm, almost exclusively due to fallen trees. An additional 269 structures had other kinds of damage, such as having shingles blown off roofs or more minor hits from falling trees and limbs.” 

Eli Goolsby, a UNG graduate, decided he wanted to take a team to help. Goolsby says, “I wanted to give students the opportunity to serve in the local area, and Spartanburg still needed some recovery from Hurricane Helene. It was encouraging to see a bunch of different types of people step up and serve, and it’s all because they wanted to step up.” 

Noah Pitts, a junior nursing major, was a part of Goolsby’s team. Pitts says, “It was an awesome experience. Aside from serving physically, whether it was using chainsaws or roofing a house, I was also able to talk with homeowners and members of communities that have been drowning in desperation and are looking for hope in every place they can look for it.”  

Some students, such as Jenna Kate Welch, a junior business management major, decided to join the trip last minute. Welch says, “I decided to go because I had a free week with no plans and had gone on a weekend disaster relief trip last semester and really enjoyed it.” 

Lily Frye, a junior kinesiology major, says, “My biggest takeaway was being able to roof a man’s house. His name was Mr. Billy, and we were able to provide him a roof on his home by the end of the week.” 

People in the Spartanburg area are still in need of support. If you would like to help, the Spartanburg County Disaster Relief Fund is a central hub for donations to various nonprofits providing direct assistance for residents.