UNC Asheville Students to Spend Fall Break in Louisiana Helping with Hurricane Relief

UNC Asheville students will spend their upcoming fall break volunteering in hurricane ravaged Leesville, La., distributing donations and clearing debris from roads and houses. Students will depart campus on Tuesday, Oct. 4, and return Sunday, Oct. 8. The trip is coordinated by the UNC Asheville chapter of Alpha Phi Omega (APO) and Hearts with Hands.

“A dozen students have signed up and more interested students are contacting me every day,” said Megan Gray, UNC Asheville senior environmental studies major and APO president. The bus transporting the students has space for up to 27 volunteers and Gray says she hopes to fill the bus.

The trip was conceived by Gray as she watched the news reports of the disaster in the Gulf. “I wanted to take my role in hurricane relief a step further,” she said. “I could have just volunteered here in Asheville, but I wanted to go beyond that service role. I felt that it would be even better to go help victims right where they are.”

With no motels or facilities to accommodate volunteers, students will be lodged at a nearby campground. Students will make their meals from food donated specifically for the trip.

APO is a co-ed service and leadership fraternity, dedicated to assisting local non-profit organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the Pediatric Brian Tumor Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphomia Society. This will be the group’s first volunteer effort for disaster relief.

Media Contact:

• Jill Yarnall, UNC Asheville Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526