Summit High Band Students Organize Hurricane Relief Collection

Students at Summit High School are volunteering their time to help the victims of Hurricane Helene.

After seeing the devastation in areas of North Carolina and Florida, SHS senior Emerson Clark decided she wanted to organize a food drive. She shared her idea with her band director and the wheels were put in motion.

"I just wanted to be part of something bigger than myself that could actually make a change after all the devastation from the hurricane," Emerson said. "If you're given the opportunity to be part of something outside just your small community, I think you should. It's a really great opportunity to help others."

Emerson and her fellow bandmates worked together for the next several days to collect food, bottled water, diapers and other supplies which were then taken to Santa Fe Baptist Church to be delivered to Unicoi, Tennessee, to help victims.

"I think we got three carloads by the end of it," Emerson said. "It was honestly inspiring when I saw how much we collected in such a short amount of time. We announced it on a Tuesday, and everything was donated by Saturday at 5 p.m. Seeing the community come together to help with something like this is really inspiring."