Greenville volunteers unite for Parks Restoration Day in Helene's wake, 'we can recover'

While many people choose to sleep in on the weekends, some community members in Greenville were up at 8 a.m. Saturday, ready to beautify their parks after Tropical Storm Helene ravaged the area just four weeks prior.

Lauren West and her two-year-old daughter, Ellie, were among the dozens of volunteers spread throughout seven of the city's parks who helped clean up damage from the storm as part of Helene Parks Restoration Day. The event was hosted by the city of Greenville in partnership with United Way of Greenville County.

"I think that doing projects like this and helping out in the community is the best way to show people that we can all band together to help and we can recover from this," West said as she laid down mulch near the Greenville County Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Cleveland Park. "We're going to be even better after that."

Like many other parks and outdoor spaces across the Upstate, Cleveland Park was forced to close temporarily after Helene hit Greenville on Sept. 27. Though there were still some downed trees and debris scattered across the grass Saturday, volunteers were eager to restore the 122-acre park, which has since reopened to the public.

Helene was an unprecedented experience for West, who moved to Greer with her daughter and husband from Dayton, Ohio in June. She considers herself lucky that the brunt of the damage in her neighborhood was downed trees and power lines, but she did worry about how she would explain what was happening during the storm to her toddler.

Now that the storm has passed, West said she brought her daughter to the event to show her the importance of helping her community during a time of need.

"Especially being new here, it doesn't matter," West said. "You move somewhere, you're a part of that community now and that's very important to me ... to be able to come out and volunteer and help with the storm cleanup."

Bill Keckeis of Fountain Inn brought his young daughters and wife to Cleveland Park to help with the restoration efforts. He said he learned about the event because his employer, Messer Construction Co., frequently partners with United Way.

"I think volunteering, whether it's before or after the storm, is really the lifeline and the fabric of the city you live in. We all get better together so if I can do my part, and everybody could do their part to help give back and make the communities we live in vibrant, that's really what you try to do," Keckeis said. "I think the storm just kind of heightened awareness a little bit because everybody's struggling and the only way to get through that is together."

Other ways to help after Tropical Storm Helene

• N.O.A.H. (Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing) Property Management is asking for donations to support Greenville residents who rely on affordable housing. They are planning to help residents restock their refrigerators, replace any household items that were damaged during the storm, and provide compensation to those who were unable to work during or after the storm due to business closures or job loss.
• Sustaining Way, an interfaith nonprofit, has started a fundraiser to support people impacted by Helene with hot meals, dry and nonperishable foods, hygiene products and other emergency assistance. Monetary donations to the fundraiser can be sent by mail to Annie’s House by Sustaining Way, 60 Baxter St., Greenville, SC 29607 or online at sustainingway.org/donate .
• The Upcountry Historical Museum is collecting children's books to donate to children impacted by Helene in Western North Carolina. New children's books (ages 1-16), coloring books, journals, crayons, markers and colored pencils can be dropped off at the museum through Nov. 17. Admission is not required for donation drop-offs.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville volunteers unite for Parks Restoration Day in Helene's wake, 'we can recover'