A year later, Liberty continues to serve Hurricane Helene victims in North Carolina

Liberty University recently dispatched two disaster relief teams, including the first-ever staff and faculty trip, to North Carolina to assist Samaritan’s Purse in continued cleanup and rebuilding efforts following the devastation left by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. The trips were facilitated through LU Serve Now, Liberty’s disaster response initiative.

Liberty sponsored multiple trips to North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia last year in the wake of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

From Oct. 5-10, a team of nine students and three trip leaders served in Asheville, N.C. Split into three groups, the students spent the week installing flooring, gutting a kitchen, constructing a laundry room, laying sheet rock and concrete, installing insulation, digging trenches for water lines, and more.

“The mission of Serve Now is to partner with quality organizations to be able to minister to and serve the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the individuals who have been impacted by man-made or natural disasters,” said LU Serve Senior Director Chad Nelson, who served as a trip leader to Asheville. “The students who have served with us throughout all these years have come wanting to put a hand to the plow with a heart of compassion for people — wanting to work hard to restore what they can help them restore. It really shows you the best of the Christian heart, where these students gave up a week of classes.”

Project management senior Corey Wall spent two months last summer serving North Carolina hurricane victims during his internship with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He said he decided to return to the area again after seeing the great work Samaritan’s Purse does in ministering to others.

“Being able to have a small part in going and helping to rebuild, using some of the gifts and talents God has given me to serve Him and providing hope and encouragement to families, was something I wanted to do with the trip,” he said.

Nursing sophomore Lydia Heinze assisted with building a new house for a family who had lost theirs. She said her passion for serving those affected by natural disaster stemmed from an experience in middle school when a town near her family’s home in California was decimated by wildfires.

“It’s an encouragement to see how much we can impact other people, even in the little things,” she said. “We need to be very intentional and thoughtful with all of our actions, especially when we are representing the Gospel and Christ.”

Two weeks later, Liberty sent another disaster relief team to Boone, N.C., entirely composed of Liberty staff and faculty. Earlier this year, Liberty instituted a new program that grants full-time eligible employees who volunteer and are selected for active service with LU Serve Now up to a week of paid leave.

While in Boone, the team broke into two groups. One crew traveled to several houses throughout the week to assist with flooring, trim, painting, installing a shower, hanging dry wall, and various other tasks. The other group served an elderly couple for the entire week by helping to rebuild a wheelchair ramp and other work, such as painting or caulking.

LU Serve Student Development Coordinator Emma Payne said she appreciated the chance to serve alongside individuals from other Liberty departments and make a meaningful impact in the lives of those in need.

“It was such a great opportunity. Not only do I feel like I have new friends here at Liberty in other departments … but it’s a blessing to be able to go down and serve and actually put action to my prayers for those affected by the hurricane. That was something I really enjoyed doing,” she said.

For Isaac Eldeen, who works as a carpenter with the Planning & Construction Department, the trip provided an opportunity to use the skills he has mastered at Liberty and incorporate them in a much different context. He noted his appreciation for Liberty’s emphasis on serving others.

“I’m very thankful our university allows us this opportunity,” he said. “I encourage more employees to get involved with this. There is an opportunity for people to jump on, and I would love to see it grow and more people become a part of it. Overall, I’m thankful for the people with LU Serve and the people with Samaritan’s Purse. They really know how to engage people in hard situations with the Gospel, with truth, and with prayer.”

“Liberty has been super generous in opening up Serve trips to faculty and staff,” said LU Serve Partnerships Coordinator Josh Griffin, who served as a trip leader in Boone. “I think it opened up so many opportunities for faculty and staff that would not normally interact to have a week building relationships. It was so encouraging to meet people with the same mission and vision.”

Liberty has a longstanding reputation for community service, consistently partnering with humanitarian aid organizations during times of need. LU Serve Now provides multiple opportunities for students as well as staff and faculty members to respond to natural disasters alongside partner organizations that embrace and support Liberty’s mission and purpose. Students and staff interested in participating are encouraged to apply online.

The ongoing success of LU Serve Now is largely due to the contributions of generous donors. Visit the Serve Now portal to support future trips.