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Featured photo: Leaders and volunteers from Spartanburg Community College and Blue Ridge Community College pose after loading donated items. (Courtesy of Spartanburg Community College.)
By: Benjamin Rickert, Marketing & Communications Dept.
Help arrived from across state lines on Friday, October 11, as members of Spartanburg Community College (SCC) traveled to Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, North Carolina, to deliver donations for those affected by Hurricane Helene. Led by SCC President Dr. Michael Mikota and his family, the group unloaded trucks filled with food, water, hygiene products, clothing, blankets, and gas-powered generators into Blue Ridge’s Patton Building.
“I know those here were hit tremendously by the wrath of Hurricane Helene,” said Dr. Mikota. “We are here to show that we care for our fellow community college and those here in Western North Carolina.”
“We are deeply grateful to Dr. Mikota and the entire Spartanburg Community College community for their incredible generosity during this challenging time,” said Dr. Laura B. Leatherwood, president of Blue Ridge Community College. “It was deeply moving to see their trucks and team members arrive to help, even as their own community recovers from the storm. Their support means so much to our students, employees, and families as we begin to rebuild and recover from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene.”
SCC collected donations over the course of a week, receiving items from across the upstate and the wider South Carolina area. Once gathered, the supplies were packed into trucks and driven to Blue Ridge.
“The donations were extremely generous, coming from hundreds of individuals,” Mikota said. “There was a tremendous outpouring in a short period of time.”
Two and a half weeks after the storm, many Blue Ridge community members still lacked power, water or phone service at home. In addition to damaging homes and businesses, the storm impacted essential services across western North Carolina. The donations from SCC will help meet urgent physical needs as communities begin to recover.
Mikota explained that while Spartanburg was also affected by the hurricane, SCC sustained “minimal facility damage”. But despite dealing with their own challenges, South Carolinians prioritized sending resources to Western North Carolina, which had endured severe storm and flood damage.
Mikota emphasized the close relationship between the two colleges and expressed his gratitude for being able to personally deliver the supplies alongside his wife and three children.
“It was very special for us to help our brothers and sisters here at Blue Ridge Community College,” he said. “It’s something that we will remember.”
Blue Ridge reopened for instruction on October 14, resuming classes at all campuses in Henderson and Transylvania Counties. Beyond education, the College also serves as a hub for first responders, and now with resources from SSC and other partners, it provides vital assistance to the college community’s most affected.
Students in need are encouraged to contact their instructors or submit a request through an online form, available at www.blueridge.edu/alert/helene. Employees should discuss any storm-related needs with their supervisors.