Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida on the evening of September 26, 2024 as a powerful category 4 hurricane, resulting in life-threatening storm surges, heavy rainfall and up to 140 MPH winds. Homes, businesses, and infrastructure are facing catastrophic damage and over 1 million homes in Florida faced power outages, with another 2 million experiencing outages across Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and southern Virginia. Severe flooding has permeated Florida's northwestern coast, with the storm moving inland and ravaging multiple western North Carolina communities. Asheville, NC became virtually inaccessible due to flooding and storm damage, and the village of Chimney Rock has been destroyed, along with several others. The storm also made a devastating impact across multiple Eastern Tennessee communities, leaving significant damage and destruction in its wake. Communities in Georgia, South Carolina, and southern Virginia are also experiencing impacts due to severe flooding. More than 200 storm-related deaths have been reported, with many others still missing. Relief efforts are underway, and the following nonprofits are providing critical resources in the form of emergency shelter, food, water, medical treatment, and supplies to those impacted. Your donation to this Fund will help support both immediate and long-term recovery efforts. Please note the organizations included in this Fund are subject to change as we learn more about needs on the ground.

Alone we can do little, but together we can do so much! Time after time, our S&TO, CISCONIANS and their community of supporters rises to the occasion. Millions of vulnerable children are losing the school meals they depend on. For some, it’s the only food they’ll receive in a given day. Globally we are asking for your support as we stand toe-to-toe with COVID-19, we are counting on you more than ever to help overcome this challenge. and have included Charities and Organizations which our colleagues in each region have shared to build this fund. Every gift, no matter the size, makes an impact!

Were hoping to move mountains and take the summit as per Everest Challenge. As when living through mental health issues it can feel like an uphill battle. (Everest Challenge was to overcome 288.000 steps in order to scale all 3 faces of Everest per 5 man team) I propose we aim to conquer 300k steps as many times as we can as a group collecting donations as we go to help raise awareness for The Mental Health Issue Globally that the pandemic has brought even more need to focus on.