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ROANOKE RAPIDS — On Wednesday, Halifax Academy donated 333 boxes of cereal to the Rewritten Story Foundation for those affected by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina while highlighting the importance of serving others.

The donation was presented to Tracy Story, founder of the nonprofit organization, who arrived for the private school’s monthly Devotion Assembly in the gymnasium and spoke to students in grades six through 12 in one portion and then kindergarteners through fifth in another.

The Rewritten Story Foundation holds fundraisers to help locals in need, including building beds for children, and often delivers supplies and lending assistance to areas affected by natural disasters. Since early October, after Hurricane Helene hit, RSF crews have frequently traveled to western NC to deliver supplies and assist those in need.

“I think most of you know what happened in western North Carolina, and it’s been a big deal to us to get there and be able to help those people,” Story told the students. “So you guys have helped many times with fundraisers of different sorts, whether it was socks, it was water, sometimes it was food, but the importance of giving and the importance of getting involved in your community, that’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about today.”

He talked about a time in Swannanoa that was hit by the storm, where his crew was working with a Baptist church. Story said a woman pulled him to the side and told him that they used to have a playground for the children, which was destroyed by the storm.

“And she asked me, could we build an ark?” he said, recalling the encounter. “And I said, wow — we can build a lot of things, but I’ve never built an ark, so I took that home with me.”

Story said he did not speak to anyone about the idea but had it on his mind while returning home until a couple of days later, late at night, he received a text message from a woman in Greenville. He said that she and her 7- or 8-year-old son were scrolling through social media when they saw that his organization was looking for playground equipment.

“Again, I hadn’t spoken about an ark,” Story said. “The young lady sends me a picture of what her son wants to donate, and it’s a boat. It’s a playground that’s a boat. So emotionally, that just charges you and gets you going. It was kind of very, very intentional. It makes you believe and know that God is looking out for us and is really up to help those people. But it put that family in the right spot with us. We were able to go get the ark. We were able to take it; we redid it, we basically rebuilt it.

“We added some slides, added some swings, and we took it to those people, and we set it up. Things like that, the involvement of that family, seeing that there was a need, and wanting to help, that’s kind of what you guys can also do.”

He explained the importance of becoming involved with the community as a young adult to make a difference. Story made it clear that there are people who are in need of them, and working together can make a difference.

“But I wanted to really inspire you to really try to get involved,” he said. “I get a little bit emotional on some of these things. When you see these places that we go to where these families have lost everything, and I mean everything.”

Story said there are still people without running water, electricity, and food.

“Getting out and getting involved is a big deal, and you guys can do that,” he said. “You’re already doing it on some levels, but the more you can do, the more you can get out and get involved and help people — it does matter. So thank you for your time. I’m very proud of all of you. You guys have so much ahead of you and so many great things that you can accomplish and do, and anything I could do to help you along the way, please feel free — be glad to help you.”

Kimberly Graybeal, public relations officer for the school, added to the topic on the importance of helping others and reminded the students of when the storm floods first came to western NC in October, how the multipurpose room was filled with donations of clothes, food, diapers and baby wipes.

“Remember how you came during your study period, or you came before school, and you helped sort all of those things?” Graybeal asked the students. “You didn’t get to go to the mountains with Tracy and help those things be distributed. But your work here, the sorting that we did here, was important because it got it ready to be taken by Tracy to be distributed there. Recently, for National Sock Day, you came together, and I don’t know how many hundreds of pairs of socks that he took to the mountains on our behalf, but you came through then, and maybe you thought it was just a little thing that you did, but you were being the hands and feet of Jesus.”

And as it turned out, Friday was National Cereal Day, which she highlighted. Graybeal then shared a story where a woman walking along a beach found the shore covered with starfish.

“There were thousands of them, and they were just dying because the tide had gone out, [and] they couldn’t get back into the water,” she said. “So this woman started picking up starfish and tossing them into the water. Well, somebody observed her doing that, and they came up to her, and they said, ‘What are you doing? You’re wasting your time. What you’re doing here is never going to make a difference.’

“And she reached down, and she picked up another starfish, and she tossed it into the water, and she said, ‘I made a difference to that one.’ So the things that we do here — whoever gets their hands on this box of cereal, whoever donated it, you made a difference in that person’s life, and it’s something that you can be proud of, and it’s something that you can go to bed at night and know that you left this world a better place than when you got up this morning, and I am thankful for all of you and for your giving hearts.”

Watkins Crew, a senior and yearbook editor with the Yearbook/Journalism team, told the Herald the yearbook staff came together with Graybeal to come up with the idea for the cereal drive. Watkins said he is in charge of the Devotion Assemblies and asked Story to come to the event, to which Graybeal suggested doing the first cereal drive for him to take back to western NC.

“I think it’s good for our community, especially us at Halifax Academy,” he said. “We get to show people that younger people like us are getting involved in helping people who need help. I take part in all the drives, and I’m always donating for anything that we have done at school.”

Watkins said he had not personally been to western NC to see the devastation but had seen the media coverage.

“It has to be tragic,” he said. “I don’t know how I could live like that, and I don’t know how they’re doing it, but I know that doing this will help them and get better.”

When asked why he cares so much about helping at such a young age, Watkins said, “I think it’s good for us to start young and do things for our community. And I just think seeing it and making a difference in someone’s life is key, and it’s good.”

Sarah Harvell, a journalism adviser at the school, said it was important for the student body to get involved with giving back.

“I think it’s fantastic that we’re able to give back, especially getting the children involved, and especially the little kids,” Harvell said. “They’ve been so excited to bring their favorite cereal, and knowing that they make a difference in children their age’s lives as well. I feel like they actually get to see what the need is. A lot of these kids don’t even realize what actually happened in the mountains. The teachers actually showed them pictures and got them involved and allowed them to share something that they actually enjoy — cereal, they love, they all love cereal, and being able to share that with the children their own age, I think, is a big help.”

When asked about the message Story and Graybeal delivered to the students, Harvell said she feels that sometimes private schools have fewer opportunities to take part in such activities to help others outside of the area.

“So exposing them to stuff that happens outside of Roanoke Rapids, I think, is a great thing,” she said. “I think this opportunity to give back is fantastic.”