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The inconvenience of having their fall season interrupted seemed trivial to the University of North Carolina Wilmington tennis teams.

The city most players had adopted as their second home was under siege. Hurricane Florence dumped more than 23 inches of rain on Wilmington, causing widespread flooding and downed trees and power lines.

The UNCW Men Volunteered at a Red Cross Telethon

The roads to the city were cut off from the flooding, stranding some residents and restricting access.

The UNCW teams were safe, having evacuated before the storm hit. But as they watched the news each night and saw the devastation, they wanted to find a way to help the community.

The men’s team volunteered at a Red Cross telethon, answering phones and writing down financial donations. Once it was safe to return to the city, the women’s team worked with the Red Cross handing out hot meals in local neighborhoods.

“The community and the university are like our family and Wilmington is now our home. It was nice for us to give back from where we came from,” said Agustin Savarino, a senior from Argentina. “When they asked us to volunteer, we all said, ‘Absolutely. We can do as much work as you guys want’ because we wanted to give back the best way we could.”