The Mont
WHE
n t Voice
ONE
Volume V, Number IV 2S^57 November 19,2004
Volunteers Aid Hurricane Victims
by Steve^arter
Six students, anned with ham
mers, shovels and chainsaws,
plunged into Gulf Breeze, FL to
assist families currently home
less as a result of Hurricane
Ivan from Friday, November 12
through Sunday, November 14.
The team included seniors
Christina Heckman, Brent Huff
man, Smart West, and juniors
Josh Williams, Maria Nelson
Stewart West, Jeremy Bagwell.
Junior Eric Spoon spearheaded
the fundraising and groundwork
for the trip.
The group conceived and
organized the trip as part of
their group dynamics class. “The
main focus of the group was to
remove waterlogged carpets and
drywall, shovel away sand which
winds shored up in many build
ings, and clear away downed
trees,” explained West.
Houses heavily damaged by
flooding needed to be stripped to
their frame in order for rebuild
ing to start. Heckman summed
up the job as “pulling everything
out of the house so [homeown
ers] can start over again.”
Many families now live |
in motorhomes close to their !
X
destroyed houses, while some
Continued on Page 8
(Top row) Jo,sh Williams, Eric Spoon, Brett Huflman, Jeremy Bagwell, (Bottom row) Stuart West, Christina Heckman, Maria Nelson. The poup traveled to
Gulf Breeze, FL to help homeowners rebuild after Hurricane Ivan as a class community service project.
America Calls Genocide, Sudan Calls Foul
by Tim Tyson (’04)
Government aircraft fly over
a rural village in Sudan strafing
straw roofed houses. A mecha
nized military unit pulls up to
■the burnt out village followed
shortly by the government spon
sored militia on horseback and
camels. The community is sur
rounded with a consistent volley
of gunfire.
Govermnent of Sudan (GOS)
aircraft return to bomb fleeing
villagers. Soldiers enter the ruins
of the village with the mission to
loot. This scene has been played
out over and over against many
non-Arab Sudanese in Darfiir,
according to a USAID report
based on interviews of 1,136
refugees.
The GOS and the government’s
militia, the Janjaweed, are made
up of mostly Arab Sudanese,
while non-Arab villages are the
primary targets according to the
report. “The primary cleavage is
ethnic: Arabs (GOS and militia
forces) vs. non-Arab villagers.
Both groups are predominantly
Muslim,” the report said.
USAID also explained the
global scale of this civil war.
“The conflict between the Gov-
enmient of Sudan (GOS) and
two rebel groups that began in
2003 has precipitated the worst
humanitarian and human rights
crisis in the world today,” the
report said.
The findings prompted
President George W. Bush in
a recent press release to urge
the international community to
support relief efforts in Sudan.
“Genocide has taken place in
Darfiir,” Bush said. “We urge the
international community to work
with us to prevent and suppress
acts of genocide.”
Virginia Beach resident Steve
Swango echoed the president’s
opinion. “They definitely need
Continued on Page 2
Venturing Post Honored
“ With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: ‘He is
good; his love to Israel endures forever. ’And all the people
gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation
of the house of the Lord was laid. ”
- Ezra 3:11 NIV
by April Heyward
Black Mountain Mayor
Michael Begley and town man
ager Anthony Caudle recognized
the Venturing Post for their vol
unteer work during the flooding
crisis.
, Members of the Venturing
Post, a volunteer fire and rescue
organization sponsored by the
Black Mountain Fire Department
and made up of seven Montreat
students, offered their time when
remnants of Hurricane Frances
and Ivan pounced the region with
record-breaking rain levels.
The seven volunteers lent a
hand to the fire department in
twelve-hour shifts, responding to
fallen trees, medical calls, motor
accidents, evacuations, and water
distribution. Venturing Post Cap
tain and Montreat Junior Chris
Carter remembers staying for “24
hours during the first hurricane.”
Carter also said the experience
gave him first-hand experience
Continued on Page 7