NORFOLK, Va. — Pictures coming in from storm-ravaged North Carolina show examples of nature at its worst. But, in the wake of the devastation, two Regent University students are proving to be examples of humanity at its best.
"We just had to do something," said Ernest Park.
Park and Austin Graves are part of the Hampton Roads Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. Based on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, it is one of the largest ROTC Units in the nation, consisting of more than 170 Sailors, Marines, and Midshipmen. Park and Graves saw the need after Hurricane Helene caused damage across North Carolina and wanted to help. They started a small supply drive in their dormitory. The response was anything but small.
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"I didn't expect it to pick up that fast," Graves explained. "We got a text message saying the box outside our dorm room was overflowing with supplies."
The two students gathered donations from across their entire battalion, which includes seven area schools.
"We put it all together, shoved it in the back of a plane, and we flew it down there," said Park.
The guys handed off the supplies to another shipmate on the ground in North Carolina. When they arrived back in Hampton Roads, the pair learned their work wasn't done.
"Another 300 or so pounds of aid came in, and we were like, well, I guess this is our thing now," Park added.
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Dubbed "Operation Shipmate Support", the team has made two trips so far. They promise they'll keep going back as long as the donations keep coming in.
"It really shows the selflessness of the students of the area and the schools around here to contribute their own money to buy things for people that they're probably never going to meet," Graves told me.
For their selflessness, we surprised Graves and Park with a News 3 Everyday Hero award. It comes with $300 Visa gift card from our community partners at Southern Bank. The pair says they'll use that money to buy more relief supplies for North Carolinians. They hope their effort inspires others to do something.
"No matter how small or how big your contribution is, it's still valid and worthy," Park said.
If you'd like to nominate someone for an Everyday Hero award, use this form to let us know!
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