50 Volunteers Rebuild Aiken County After Hurricane Helene

When Hurricane Helene damaged a porch so badly that a homeowner couldn't walk out their front door, 50 volunteers from Savannah River Mission Completion showed up to rebuild it.

The volunteers joined hundreds of community members across Aiken County, South Carolina, for the United Way's annual Project VISION Day of Caring in March. VISION stands for Volunteers In Service In Our Neighborhoods, and it connects people ready to help with nonprofits that need extra hands.

The SRMC team, representing the Savannah River Site's liquid waste contractor, split up to tackle multiple projects. Some renovated the Cumbee Center, a local agency serving the community. Others refurbished Children's Place and repaired the Aiken County United Way office itself.

But the most urgent job was the hurricane damaged porch. For months, one homeowner had been stuck using only their back door because the front entrance was unsafe. The volunteer team completely rebuilt it, giving them their home back the way it should be.

The Ripple Effect

Bobbi Stavru, SRMC's volunteer coordinator, said these employees already work toward environmental progress at their jobs. But Project VISION lets them create change they can see immediately in their own neighborhoods.

"Volunteering gives our team the opportunity to work toward a brighter future outside of the workplace," Stavru explained. "We have the privilege of contributing to meaningful changes, and that is what inspires us to show up and work hard every year."

The day of service brought together people from all walks of life in Aiken County. While the SRMC team focused on their four projects, hundreds of other volunteers fanned out across the area to help different organizations and families still recovering from the hurricane.

These weren't professional contractors or construction workers. They were neighbors helping neighbors, coworkers teaming up to paint walls and fix broken steps, regular people turning their day off into someone else's fresh start.

One day of caring created months worth of repairs that struggling nonprofits and families couldn't afford on their own.