Limestone Students & Rotary Members Show Appreciation To First Responders

Limestone University exercise science capstone students and the Rotary Club of Blacksburg teamed up recently to show their gratitude to the City of Gaffney Firefighters and the workforce at Cherokee Medical Center in Gaffney for their tireless work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The student wrote over 250 inspirational and supportive messages on index cards that were posted on a wall inside the fire station. They also accompanied members of the Rotary Club of Blacksburg to serve the main fire station coffee for three days earlier this month. They also took two days to serve coffee at Cherokee Medical Center. Banners that expressed gratitude were also hung at the fire station and the hospital.

“We can't do enough for our first responders who serve our community,” said Dr. Felicia Cavallini, the instructor for the capstone class. “After speaking with a local nurse about the coronavirus and its variants, it was made clear to us that it has been a tough time inside the hospitals. She expressed how frustrating it was to see these families go through such hard times alone. Our senior exercise science students wanted to find ways to let our first responders and nurses know that they haven’t been forgotten and that they are truly our American heroes.

“As the president of the Rotary Club of Blacksburg, I thought it would be wonderful to bring club members in for their support as well,” she continued. “The more support we have for our local heroes, the better. The Rotary Club members were not only supporting nurses and first responders, but our Limestone students as well.”

The show of thankfulness has impacted the Limestone students and the Rotary Club members.

“It’s a really good feeling to give back to the people who have done much for us during this hard time,” said student Taylor Gomes.

“We have worked with Limestone in the past and it is always a pleasure, and we even have a lot of members who are a part of the faculty at Limestone,” said Rotary Club of Blacksburg Carolyn Batchler. “We are a service organization, and we enjoy doing things with and for the community.”

“Rotary is always ready to help and honor those who exemplify roles of service,” said club member Hal Howington. “It’s a delight to be able to work with young people.”

Accompanying Photo: Limestone University exercise science students (left to right) Marquis Fewell, Taylor Gomes, Teona Martino, Jaden Bates, and Austin Covan were instrumental in the effort to show appreciation to local first responders.