By Suzy Alstrin
Upon learning of the devastation by Hurricane Helene, Reinhardt marketing major Wiley Sims (RU-2027) and his extended family wanted to do something to help the victims. They bonded together and organized the Waleska Hurricane Relief Drive to gather donations.
Thanks to an outpouring of support from people across Cherokee County, last weekend’s collection filled two 53-foot trailers with everything from water, food, and grills to dog food, diapers, and bleach. Sims helped organize and promote his family’s efforts. When the donations arrived by the truckload, he estimates he lifted two to three tons of donated water by himself until a truck driver suggested calling Reinhardt baseball coach Jonathan Burton to ask for help. The Eagles didn’t hesitate— players quickly showed up in full force to do the heavy lifting.
The trailers, supplied by Sims’ cousins, who own Hawthorne Grading and Hauling, headed to North Carolina. The City of Woodstock helped coordinate delivery alongside its own hurricane relief efforts.
Sims thanks all who helped and explained the reason behind their team effort, “As a family, we all love each other, and we know what it’s like to go through hard times. Although we can’t imagine what all these people are going through, we wanted to organize something that would help lift the burden, even just a little bit, and provide an opportunity for other people to feel like they could help somebody. It was an effort from not just us as a family, but us as a community.”
Helene, which struck Florida on September 26th, traveled across Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas to become the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005. The Reinhardt campus community sends its love, support, and prayers to all who have been affected, especially to alumni, families, friends, and donors.
