NGU News


NGU Community Finds Opportunities to Serve Following Hurricane

Posted on: October 16, 2024
By Billy Cannada, billy.cannada@ngu.edu

Tigerville, SC A rapid response helped mitigate damage from Tropical Storm Helene on NGU’s Greer and Tigerville campuses. 

“I know I speak for the entire NGU community as I express appreciation to members of the Crisis Management Team and others who went well above the call of duty before, during, and after the storm to respond to many challenges,” NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr. said.  

With power outages, downed trees, and water issues, a host of NGU faculty, staff and student leaders were on site assisting in recovery efforts in Tigerville.  

“Many in the community sprang into action, even during Helene’s strongest winds and rains,” said Executive Vice President Rich Grimm, who coordinated the university’s response to the September 27 storm. “The care, professionalism, and selfless service of individuals too numerous to name gives testimony to their love and commitment to NGU. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for each person.” 

Kyle Walden, Campus Enhancement Services vice president, whose team, along with the staff of The Budd Group, the university’s housekeeping and landscaping partner, have been busy cleaning up after the storm.  

“We were blessed to only have sustained what damage we did, but it is also a testament to the people and community of NGU that planned, responded, collaborated, and worked diligently and tirelessly to bring the campus back together,” said Kyle. “There is a strong community here at this university, and this situation has proved that.” 

NGU’s student leadership team also organized in the aftermath of the storm, establishing on-going communication with residents who remained on campus, planning events, and helping with storm clean-up and more.   

“Through the hardships of the past week, what stood out as a constant encouragement was the selfless commitment seen in the CMSE student leadership team,” said Dr. Jared Thomas, NGU vice president of Campus Ministries and Student Engagement (CMSE). “I could not be more proud of and grateful for these student leaders. They proved that they are here to serve our student body in both the good and the bad. More importantly, they served in a way that, I believe, followed the humble and sacrificial example seen in Christ (Phil 2).” 

Serving Others 

“We didn’t have a full detailed and concrete plan, but we knew we needed to help.” 

Those were thoughts from Brett Plyler, student ministry coordinator at NGU, who helped organize a group of more than 100 NGU students to travel to Biltmore Church in Western North Carolina to assist with hurricane relief.  

“A couple of us went to Bat Cave Baptist and drove through Black Mountain,” Plyler said. “We saw complete roads missing, powerlines down, houses completely removed from their foundation, and cars in the river.” 

“It was truly devastating,” he continued. “It reminded me of all the things I had to be grateful for, and the verse in Job that says ‘The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.’” 

The group helped organize donations at Biltmore Church, unloading trailers and organizing the flow of traffic in what has become a supply distribution center.  

“NGU has great relationships with local churches, and we utilized connections with local churches to see how we could be help and mobilize our students,” Plyler said. 

Other groups within the NGU community have been finding their own ways to serve others who have been devastated by the storm.  

“I’ve heard about faculty members who personally called all of their students, who housed students and colleagues who needed help,” President Fant said. “I’ve heard of staff members who brought food to one another, who offered laundry rooms to others, and who provided chain saw service. We have watched colleagues work in relief crews in SC and across the line in NC. I’ve heard of coaches who helped students focus on others rather than getting bogged down in their own challenges. And we all have watched our churches and fellow parishioners leap into action to help all over the region. So many acts of courage and compassion.” 

President Fant said the response of many will be one of the lasting impacts of the storm. 

“For a generation, students will now talk about ‘that hurricane’ and their experiences during the following days,” he said. “That means that for a generation, students will recount how well their faculty mentors and staff leaders helped them to navigate difficult circumstances and showed the love of Christ to them in specific and tangible ways.” 

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