Irene brings out Spartan compassion
It’s been nearly four weeks since Irene ripped through Vermont – and she definitely left her mark.
In the days following this devastating storm, Castleton students, faculty and staff were busy working together to clean up the campus and repair the damage Irene left behind. The flooding took its toll on the athletic complex basement, basically destroying the still new smelling offices and locker rooms and weight room.
Everyone certainly had their hands full right here on campus, but that didn’t stop them from reaching out to the surrounding communities to help others. Days after the storm, after the clean-up on campus was under control, 300 Castleton students and staff members dressed in green t-shirts, old jeans and sneakers, showed their generosity and commitment to the betterment of our community by lending helping hands to those greatly affected in Rutland.
They volunteered their time to cleaning out homes that were destroyed and filling up dumpsters full of damaged possessions.
Dr. Dorothy I. Height is quoted as saying, “Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It’s important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and develop.”
Having Castleton students and faculty selflessly volunteer their time to the Rutland community shows that we are willing to help our surrounding community get back on its feet so we can all be strong and move forward, despite the fact that we as a college are struggling to stand on ours after such a devastating storm.
Not only do our volunteer efforts help us all grow as a community, but it also shadows any negativity that community members may have toward the college’s students.
To put it simply, it’s just awesome to see Castleton students working with their fellow community members to help clean up after a disaster that affected all of us.
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