The Excellent Phi Gamma Delta
BOONE N.C.– An Appalachian State Fraternity received an award for their excellent volunteer service at one of Blowing Rock’s most beautiful and recognizable tourist destinations.
According to the National Park Service, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a national parkway that stretches 469 miles across North Carolina and Virginia. The Phi Gamma Delta chapter of Appalachian State received the Volunteer of the Year award for their excellent contributions and service last year.
Service and giving back to the community is a big part of the fraternity’s values according to Cole Britt, former recording secretary for Phi Gamma Delta.
“We went so strongly with the parkway because it’s so fun and everyone enjoys the work,'' Britt said.
The volunteers are the heart of this national parkway, there are about 1200 to 1400 volunteers a year, contributing to about 140,000 hours of service. Caitlin Worth, volunteer coordinator for the parkway enjoys the sense of community that comes with service.
“I think that probably one of the things that I find the most rewarding is really about connecting people with the park but also with each other,” Worth said.
The Phi Gamma Delta fraternity of Appalachian State has prided itself on its reliable reputation and the magnitude of its continuous contributions.
Zach Watkins, current recording secretary for the fraternity was rushing at the time when he attended his first service event with the chapter.
“When I was rushing I went along with them and had a good time so that definitely swayed my decision,” Watkins said.
There are many ways to volunteer on the parkway, even the smallest contributions make such a difference. Phi Gamma does not shy away from the toughest work on the parkway, from making hiking trails safer, prepping campsites for the season, and painting the bathrooms, they did it all.
“Wherever we’re needed, we’ll go,” Watkins said. The fraternity has been working with the parkway’s lead coordinator, Ken Carpenter, for the past three years and has built a great relationship with the community.
Ken Carpenter works as a liaison between the park office in Asheville, N.C., and the park staff in Sandy Flask right in Blowing Rock, N.C.
To Carpenter, the most rewarding feeling about volunteering with the parkway is seeing the recognition the volunteers receive from visitors who pass by. “I don’t think people understand the power of that, it’s very very strong. It’s also rewarding for the volunteers,” Carpenter said.
The significance of the Volunteer of the Year award is not to be taken lightly, this award is given to the most spendable and dedicated parkway volunteers.
“Each time they came to work they brought a sizable amount of people that volunteered each time. So I learned that when they come you have to have a suitable task or project for them to tackle because they will bring 20 guys.” Carpenter said.
When speaking to Britt and Watkins of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, they spoke with such passion about their work on the parkway, they love the feeling it gives them, knowing that their work impacts thousands of people who come to enjoy the Blue Ridge Parkway.
“I mean just the act of volunteering alone, we’ve been doing this for years that there have been trails we go back on and are like ‘we did that’,” Britt said.
Most of their time was spent at Price Lake, redirecting certain hiking paths to make it safer for families to come and enjoy.
“Bushes and trees and things will sort of overgrow and we go in there to clear it all back to let in some sunlight,” Britt said.
Carpenter recalls his first encounter with Phi Gamma Delta as memorable; they came with a huge group and did about 88.7 hours worth of work. Now, this hardworking group of men comes multiple times a year.
The Phi Gamma Delta chapter of Appalachian State is very honored and grateful for their recognition and receiving Volunteer of the Year and will continue to volunteer with the Blue Ridge Parkway for years to come.
“We like the recognition but none of us set out to get recognition, we went so strongly with the parkway just because it’s fun, everybody that went enjoyed the work,” Britt said.
Ken Carpenter reviewing paperwork before meeting with a volunteer group at Sims Pond Overlook in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, Dec. 4. Carpenter is required to talk about trail safety and record attendees before getting started.
Members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity posing for a group picture before their first volunteer experience with the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, Feb. 8, 2019. The fraternity worked with another Appalachian State organization for their first time before striking out on their own.
Ken Carpenter securing loose bridge boards at Tanawha Trail at Julian Price Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, Dec. 29.
Members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity painting a bathroom at Julian Price Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Painting bathrooms was one of their main volunteer activities the fraternity participated in.
Caitlin Worth briefing volunteers at the Project Parkway Work Day at Mt. Pisgah on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. The event is hosted annually at each parkway campground and will be held on April 23 this year.
Members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity putting the finishing touches on the roof of a bathroom at Julian Price Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. “They may not have been the group that worked the very hardest,” Ken Carpenter said. “But when they did work, they worked, and they painted bathrooms.”
Two members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity hauling flat rocks on the Tanawha Trail at Julian Price Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The flat rocks make trails easier and safer to walk on.
A view of the Tanawha Trail after incorporating flat rocks at Julian Price Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, Sept. 27. The Phi Gamma Delta fraternity assisted in making the trail safer to walk on.
Cole Britt’s composite for the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at Appalachian State University. Britt was the fraternity’s secretary who was in charge of service projects.
A member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity displaying the official VIP vest for volunteers working on the Blue Ridge Parkway for the National Park Service at Julian Price Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Each volunteer is required to wear one while working.
Members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity posing for a group picture with their VIP vests on before attending to trail maintenance at Price Lake on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, Sept. 11, 2020. Cole Britt, the service chair at the time, organized the event.
A view of a dumpster at Julian Price Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock, North Carolina Feb. 8, 2019. A pesky local bear had rummaged through it resulting in trash littering the ground.
Members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity using hoes to extend the width of a trail at Julian Price Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Extending the width makes the trail easier to walk on with groups of people.
Members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity posing for a picture after a long day of volunteering with the National Park Service on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, Nov. 19, 2019. This day the group had helped with trail maintenance which consisted of blowing leaves, pushing back brush and tree branches and making sure enough sunlight was hitting the trail.
A view of a trail after the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity assisted with maintenance on it at Julian Price Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The trail is now clear of any rogue branches, brush and leaves.
The Phi Gamma Delta fraternity crest. The fraternity, nicknamed FIJI, was founded in May 1848.
