Earlier this month, more than 300 Castleton faculty, staff and student members participated in the clean-up of some 100 houses that were flooded and severely damaged after Tropical Storm Irene swept through Rutland.
I was unfortunately unable to attend the Friday, Sept. 9, clean-up due to a relentlessly demanding schedule and an early afternoon soccer practice. But I have heard countless positive remarks about the event. I think it is remarkable to hear about the significant number of people who attended, and I wanted to capture their inspiring stories here.
In a campus-wide e-mail sent out by Castleton President Dave Wolk, he stated that he is still "basking in the glow of well over 300 students, faculty and staff members from our small college with the big heart who really made a difference on Friday."
The groups shoveled mud, muck, and household debris up long basement staircases of the people who were unable to conquer the hard tasks by themselves or who were limited by their own resources.
One story that was brought to light recently came from a student in my Environmental Harm and Mitigation Strategies class. Her account actually sent chills down my spine as I listened to the admirable tasks that so many members of my own community completed.
The student noted that when the Castleton group met up at the school prior to leaving, they split up into groups of 10 and then joined another group of 10. Those combined groups were assigned to specific tasks.
Members of this group were told that they would be cleaning the house of an older woman, near the age of 80, who "could not make it up and down the steep steps of her basement," and who was unable to even "remain awake for the few hours while they were at the house," according to the student.
Evidently, the basement was covered in a slippery clay-like mud that caused the volunteers to slip everywhere. This muck coated the entire basement, along with other debris — including raw sewage.
My classmate said that the most moving moment of the clean up came when the old women’s son came to the house and was in complete shock that the group was at his mother’s house.
You see, the group had originally been sent to clean the neighbor’s house. But those neighbors told the students that their elderly neighbor needed the help way more than they did.
The son was extremely thankful for the Castleton team, and told its members that he had been trying to save up the money to hire somebody to clean out his mother’s basement. He was in his 50s and was going back to school; most of his money was going toward paying for his education.
My classmate was extremely moved by this experience. Hearing this account from her personally inspired me as well, and I felt the need to share this account. It is amazing how an uplifting story like this can continue to lift the hopes and spirits of others.
The anecdote also allows me to illustrate how commendable their volunteer work was and the long-term impact it will have in the lives of all those involved.
Maria Arnot is a senior at Castleton State College studying communications with a concentration in journalism. She is working as a Vermont Today blogger for internship credit and can be reached at [email protected] or 607-293-8089.