Giving Back To The High Country

Boone is a beautiful place in Watauga County, and collegiettes are always taking full advantage of the many places to eat, shop and explore in the High Country. However, many of us are naïve to all the not-so-pleasant things that occur here. Just like any other place, the town of Boone and Watauga County are populated with people and animals that are in need.

With the excitment and festivities the holiday season brings, it is easy to get caught up in our own lives, but we shouldn’t forget about those around us. Here are some ways to give back to the community we live in and take a step back from the fortunate lives we live.

1. Volunteer at the Hospitality House in Boone. Speaking from personal experience, volunteering here is eye opening. People take the buses or even walk miles every day for a meal or a safe place to sleep. Food and items are donated to the Hospitality House to help those less fortunate that do not have the means to provide for themselves, or even their loved ones, including children and elderly. To learn how to get involved at the Hospitality House, visit http://hospitalityhouseofboone.org/index.php?id=9 for more information. 

2. Volunteer at the Watauga Humane Society. Many of us own pets or have owned a pet at some point in our lives, but often it is forgotten that there are some animals without a home and owner to love and provide for them. The Watauga Humane Society is a place for surrendered, lost and newly born animals, but they can’t stay there forever. Also, there are a lot of animals there that need help and need to have socialization with humans to ensure they get adopted into their forever home. The staff who work there are wonderful people and need assistance to keep the place up and running, and the animals healthy and happy. Besides volunteering there, you may be able to help an animal by fostering it. For more information about helping out the animals, check out their website: http://www.wataugahumanesociety.org/catalog/volunteer-pd-90.php

3. Donate to WAMY. Begin shameless promoting… As a member of Appalachian’s Rotaract club, a service club that helps out our community here in Boone, we have different service projects each semester that we contribute our services to. This fall, the Rotaract Club is assisting in the WAMY Community Action project, which is similar to Operation Christmas Child. WAMY assists families in Watauga, Avery, Mitchell and Yancey counties, assisting the WAMY Family Self Sufficiency Program within their Family Resource Center. The program assists low-income families in attaining the skills, knowledge and motivation they need to achieve self sufficiency, offering things such as assistance in obtaining education, transportation, child care, treatment of minor medical and dental problems, and much more. The Rotaract Club at Appalachian State is specifically collecting items to be given to children of these families around Christmas time as presents. For more information, contact a representative at Appalachian State to get in touch with an executive member of the Rotaract Club.

There really are so many ways on campus to get involved in community service, and you can always reach out to places like the Boone Sunrise Rotary Club which has several projects going on, and weekly meetings that are free for all to attend. While we give thanks around this time, let us remember we can give back to others so they also have something to be thankful for.

Images: 

http://capturingcanines.com/dogs-day-watauga-humane-society/

http://sierrapinesumc.org/ministries/mission-ministry/local-community-outreach/hospitality-house/

http://www.wamycommunityaction.org/critical-needs 

http://blog.debthelper.com/2013/11/great-volunteer-opportunities-during-…

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