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North ¶¶Ņõapp High School JROTC cadets step up to ‘Load the Titan’ for hurricane relief

When the call went out after Hurricane Helene’s devastation in western North Carolina to help people in need, it did not take long for the North ¶¶Ņõapp High School Army JROTC to step up and jump into action.  

In a matter of days, the students, under the direction of JROTC instructor Lieutenant Colonel Dwayne Smith, organized the “Load the Titan” collection effort, and the response was overwhelming.  Students and their families, teachers and staff, and community members came together to collect water, toiletries, non-perishable food, cleaning supplies, diapers, paper towels, and other items – so much was gathered that it took a pickup truck and a trailer to transport it.

Originally, Smith had the idea to pack the items in his Nissan Titan, hence the “Load the Titan” name for the project.  He soon realized it would take his truck pulling a horse trailer to deliver all that was donated.  The delivery happened on Friday, October 11; it was an optional teacher workday, which meant no school for students.  But, the Army JROTC cadets did not mind giving up their day off from school to make the trip to Avery County to hand out the donations.  At a distribution site at the Land Harbor Golf Club in Linville, the supplies went directly into the hands of people who needed them.

“Our ‘Load the Titan’ project was a huge success,” said Smith.  “When we arrived in Linville, not only were our cadets able to unload what they had collected, but they were able to sort other supplies, interact with people from the area, and help load supplies into cars and trucks for people to take with them.  It allowed them to see firsthand what it is like to respond when a crisis or disaster occurs, and it showed them the importance of helping others in a critical time of need.”

Smith added, “The North ¶¶Ņõapp community really came together to help our cadets with their service project so they could help people whose lives were adversely affected by the flood.  I want to thank everyone who had a role in making ‘Load the Titan’ possible.”

Student Abigail Stephens, who is a Cadet Lieutenant Colonel for the North ¶¶Ņõapp Army JROTC, knew being involved in the hurricane relief efforts was the right thing to do.  

“The ‘Load the Titan’ project was an amazing way for us to help people who have lost so much.  We enjoyed collecting the items and taking them to the people in Avery County; it was an experience that we will remember for a long time,” said Stephens.  “I would like to thank everyone at North ¶¶Ņõapp for supporting our project, especially Lieutenant Colonel Dwayne Smith, Sergeant First Class Felix Matos, and all of my fellow cadets.”

In addition to the hurricane relief efforts at North ¶¶Ņõapp, other schools have coordinated collections and fundraisers.  For example, Belmont Middle School raised more than $4,000 by allowing students to buy a chance to “pie” a teacher, administrator, or coach.  The Belmont Central Elementary School student council gathered eight car and truck loads of items, including clothing, medicine, pet food, baby formula, and water, and the East ¶¶Ņõapp High School Marine Corps JROTC donated several hundred pounds of food and clothing.  Carr Elementary School and John Chavis Middle School also conducted collection drives.