UNCW faculty, staff and students will commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Florence by assisting community organizations throughout Wilmington. “Wings Up for Wilmington,” a day of service, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 16.
Nearly 300 volunteers will work at 18 sites on various projects, from safety-related home repairs to landscaping, painting and planting in community gardens.
“I believe that the establishment of this event, and a new university tradition, is a testament to UNCW’s commitment to community engagement and, as such, supports the new strategic plan,” said Jaime Russell, director of student community engagement. “I am hopeful that this event will continue for years to come as a way for all Seahawks to connect with the local community in which we live.”
The day of service was first held in September 2019 to observe the anniversary of Hurricane Florence. The Category 1 storm made landfall on Sept. 14, 2018, causing widespread flooding and millions of dollars in damage in communities throughout the Cape Fear region. Amanda Boomershine, professor of Spanish and Linguistics, led the community engagement event until 2022.
“I would like to thank Amanda Boomershine for her leadership in facilitating the event in past years. Thanks to her work, it has been a seamless transition to the event being coordinated by the Student Community Engagement team in Campus Life with the support of High Impact Pathways,” said Russell.
“Wings Up for Wilmington” is among several events that are a part of Seahawks that Serve Week, which runs Sept. 11-16. The week celebrates the university’s commitment to providing students with opportunities to learn, grow and engage during their time at UNCW.
This article has the following tags: myUNCW Engagement