Character & Integrity in a Time of Challenge
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
Fred Rogers
On Tuesday, October 15, we came back together as a community for the first time after Hurricane Helene. We reflected on what we’ve lived through since we were last together. For some of us, it has been unspeakable trauma and significant loss. For others, it has been an evacuation to another city so that we didn’t strain Asheville’s limited resources. And for others, it has been a time to be of service to our devastated community.
We Take Care of Each Other
As members of the greater WNC community, we reflected on how our neighbors far and near worked to help each other out. We saw neighbors and businesses offering whatever they had to share, be it water, wifi, food, gas, etc. We saw area non-profits rally at lightning speed. In our immediate FBRA community, Sam Iatarola and several other staff members built the startup relief effort Helene Rebuild Collaborative. Many students, parents, and alumni were involved in this effort as well. Alex Allison and Alessia Faverio worked with search and rescue crews, Alex doing canine rescue work and Alessia on swiftwater rescue. And our senior admin team was working around the clock to get the school in a position to reopen.
Look for the Helpers, Be a Helper
As we reconvened on October 15 that first morning back, we noted that we have seen our students rise above and beyond in these challenging times. They are exuding kindness, offering hugs to those who are struggling, sharing what they have, being adaptable with our limited resources, offering support to their teachers, and more. While Hurricane Helene has wrought havoc on our entire region, it has also brought out all of our best instincts. We are all getting daily opportunities to embody FBRA’s mission statement of building character and integrity for a lifetime of learning, service, and leadership.
Moving forward, we are going to continue to look for the helpers and also be helpers, as Fred Rogers encourages us to do.
