ASU students raise $1,300 for snowed-in community

It was a drive that kept giving and giving.

Student-run Appalachian and Community Together (ACT) conducted its MLK Volunteer Day last week, bringing 170 students, staff and faculty out and about in Boone.

The goal? To raise money while interacting with 16 community agencies.
The result? Success.

A sum of $900 was donated to a Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation fund to help people pay their electric bills, a timely effort.

"Everyone just got hit with the ice storm," sophomore Sam Williams said. "It was a perfect storm of sorts."

Williams, along with other students, continued the effort to help last week in a silent auction.
"Some businesses can't give money necessarily, but they are willing to give items," junior Julia Smith said.

With $400 added to the original $900, the total contribution was raised to $1,300, and the community can still help by donating directly to Blue Ridge Electric.

Agencies directly impacted by ACT volunteer efforts last week include Hospitality House, the Children's Playhouse, Samaritan's Purse and Cove Creek Farm.

It's just one of ACT's efforts to mesh Appalachian students with their new community.
Over the past four years its students have spent more than 350,000 hours serving the community and raised more than $140,000 for local community agencies.

"It's nice to be part of something where I feel like we really make a difference," Williams said.
ACT's latest project involves getting students involved in what's going on in Haiti. For direct ways to help the effort, visit http://act.appstate.edu.