For the KCHA, the flood had a lasting impact. Inspired by the
volunteer spirit of West Virginians and those pouring in from
around the country, Shafer wrote a grant for $240,000 to buy
a mobile unit for the organization, and in November 2016, the
KCHA was awarded the entire amount by the Petco Foundation.
The mobile unit, which will be called the Careavan, will be
operational this fall and will allow the KCHA to better respond
to disaster situations, hold adoption events and spay, neuter
and vaccinate animals in local communities.
Mennonite Disaster Service
Photo by Florida State University Sports Information.
Florida State University and University of Alabama
Once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer. This rang true
for three well-known men in the weeks following the flood.
After learning of the level of devastation on Mountain State
schools, West Virginia natives Nick Saban, head coach of the
University of Alabama football team; Jimbo Fisher, head coach
of the Florida State University (FSU) football team; and Rick
Trickett, assistant coach at FSU, came together in an effort to
support West Virginia’s middle and high school football programs.
“Football was such an important part of my childhood in
West Virginia, and to see the devastation the flooding caused
and how it threatened so many high school football teams—
we wanted to find a way to help,” says Saban.
Both Saban and Fisher asked high schools in their respective
states to donate one full football uniform, including pads, helmets
and practice jerseys, by July 25, 2016, so they could be taken to
West Virginia in time for summer practices. Herbert Hoover High
School, Richwood High School and Richwood Middle School
were all damaged beyond repair, and students were forced to
relocate to other facilities and portable classrooms, making the
promise of a s