The SAU’s culture of caring shined bright recently when 26 students and staff dropped everything they were doing to aid those impacted by recent storm damage. On March 31, 2023, residents of Wynne, Arkansas, and other areas of Arkansas, were aware of the threat of spring tornado weather alerts. As the day progressed, it became evident that Arkansas was at severe risk for developing these storms. When the system rolled through, the aftermath across the state was devastating. The National Weather Service, in days following the storms, has classified the tornados as EF3s.
As Arkansans started seeing the images and realizing the magnitude of the damage across the state, many wanted to help their fellow Arkansans. In true SAU Mulerider spirit, SAU First Lady, Dr. Katherine Berry, asked if we could assemble a team of volunteers. Several staff members reacted quickly and coordinated efforts to take a group of students to Wynne to help in this time of need.
When the group of Muleriders drove through the areas impacted by the tornadoes, they realized the damage was worse than they had anticipated. Entire neighborhoods and large portions of the Wynne School District were destroyed.
The students and staff got to work, helping to clear debris in neighborhoods and moving salvageable furniture and equipment out of the school buildings. The team worked fast to make as much progress as possible as the area faced more rain and potential storms just a few days after the initial destructive weather.
Allyssa Andrews, a current agriculture education major at SAU, is a lifelong resident of Wynne. She said, “In a million years, I did not think I would ever have to face the hardship that we faced from the storms on March 31.” She reflected on the Saturday morning as she woke up, “It really seemed like a dream and that it was not real.”
Andrews was not surprised when her professors and others from SAU started reaching out to her to check on her and offer support. “What I expected just to be local FFA chapters coming to help instantly turned into a statewide effort to help our students and families begin a sense of normalcy,” stated Andrews. She also contributed, “SAU rallied a group quickly and traveled four hours to my hometown to work for two days. When I say work, I mean I never saw one of them sitting down and resting.” She shared that she is thankful for the support and love from SAU.
SAU has a rich heritage of service. The Muleriders were President’s Higher Education Community Service award recipients for six years until the award was disbanded. SAU partnered with AmeriCorps Vista five years ago to incorporate the service-oriented program on the SAU campus. The SAU+Vista program’s main mission is to work towards eradicating poverty. This group truly has a heart for volunteerism on all levels. Unsurprisingly, Kathy Gean, SAU+Vista Director, was one of the leaders to coordinate this effort, along with staff members Dr. Donna Allen, Brad Stout, Katie Heese, and Michael Flowers. In reflection on this experience, Gean stated, “I am thankful for SAU, but doubly thankful for its leadership that values serving our community and beyond. We were thankful for the opportunity to help in the cleanup efforts alongside amazing young people with big hearts for service.”
As the SAU relief team left the devastated area to return home, the group was thankful for the experience of being able to help the residents of Wynne during this time. They returned to SAU after this transformational experience with a new outlook on life. SAU student volunteer, Stormie Stivers, commented, “Seeing the community of Wynne in devastation was heartbreaking. I am so glad I had the opportunity to help those in need during this hard time in their lives.”
