On the morning Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina, Mason Thompson did not wait for someone else to clear the way.
The McDowell Technical Community College welding student had been awakened by a power outage, heavy rain and wind “whistling” through the porch of his family’s Montford Cove home, a small community near the McDowell-Rutherford county line. When the storm passed, Thompson and his father climbed onto a farm tractor and began clearing fallen trees from the road between their home and the local fire department.
They did not stop there.
With members of the fire department joining them, Thompson helped clear approximately six and a half miles of Sugar Hill Road, from Old Fort Sugar Hill Road to West Marion Elementary School. Later that day, he helped his family search for cattle that had escaped after floodwaters along Cove Creek tore down fencing on their farm.
Now, that same spirit of perseverance, service and determination has earned Thompson a Hurricane Helene HopeMill Resilience Scholarship, a $2,000 award designed to support students whose education and lives were disrupted by the storm.
Thompson is currently enrolled at McDowell Technical Community College, where he is pursuing an Associate Degree in Welding Technology.
“Mason’s story is a powerful reminder of the kind of students we are privileged to serve at McDowell Tech,” said Dr. J.W. Kelley, President of McDowell Technical Community College. “Hurricane Helene tested our region in ways none of us will ever forget, but it also revealed the strength, character and generosity of our people. Mason helped clear roads, served his neighbors, supported his family and still remained committed to his education. We are deeply grateful to HopeMill for recognizing that kind of resilience and for investing in a student whose future is as strong as his work ethic.”
The HopeMill Resilience Scholarship was created to help college, university and trade school students continue their education after experiencing financial need or personal hardship related to Hurricane Helene. HopeMill representatives said the organization is especially committed to helping students in practical, flexible ways. Because HopeMill is a small nonprofit, scholarship funds are provided directly to recipients, allowing students to address the needs that matter most in that moment.
“If he needs books or welding gloves or a new welding helmet or whatever, he can cash it and get it,” a HopeMill representative said during the scholarship presentation. “It’s up to his discretion.”
For Thompson, whose family owns a logging and tree service business as well as a cattle farm, Helene was not just a one-day event. In his scholarship essay, he described the immediate damage to his family’s farm, the long cleanup that followed and the lasting economic impact on the logging industry after widespread timber damage pushed mills beyond capacity and drove down prices.
Floodwaters left standing water in the family’s fields, tore down most of their fencing and scattered debris across pastureland. After the water receded, the family found sand covering a large portion of the fields and erosion along the creek banks. Their cattle had to be moved for approximately three months while the family cleaned debris, repaired fencing and waited for the risk from floodwater contamination to pass.
The hardship extended beyond the family farm. Thompson wrote that many people in his community were without power for five to 10 days, while phone service was unavailable for 22 days. When the National Guard began delivering bottled water and meals ready-to-eat to Shingle Hollow Fire Department, Thompson and members of Montford Cove Baptist Church spent two days delivering supplies by truck and off-road vehicles to neighbors who could not get out.
“On the day that Helene hit it was a very dark day for Western North Carolina,” Thompson wrote. “In the days after the storm members of small communities all across Western North Carolina grew close and relied on each other.”
HopeMill’s story also began with loss, service and the desire to carry forward a legacy of kindness. The organization was established in honor of Keziah Caton, a beloved Hoodsly customer service team member remembered by her colleagues as a bright, compassionate presence who worked full time while pursuing her college degree. Hoodsly is a North Carolina-based maker of custom handcrafted wood range hoods. After her tragic passing, the Hoodsly team created the Bell Hood in her honor and began using a portion of proceeds from each Bell Hood purchase to support HopeMill and scholarships for students who reflect Keziah’s compassion, dedication and passion for success.
Following Hurricane Helene, HopeMill expanded its work to support long-term recovery across Western North Carolina, including assistance for families, students, small businesses and communities working to rebuild. The Resilience Scholarship is part of that mission.
HopeMill representatives Chelsea Radke and Amber Baker McFetters said Thompson’s choice to pursue a trade made his application especially meaningful.
“A lot of trades people get left out of scholarships,” a HopeMill representative said. “In the mountains, that’s what you learn. You learn a trade.”
Thompson said the scholarship will help him continue his education in a field where his interest grows with each day of class. In his essay, he also expressed gratitude for McDowell Tech, calling the college “amazing” because of its facilities, teachers, students and overall support.
“I have been raised in McDowell County for all eighteen years of my life, and I am very thankful and blessed to call this special place my home,” Thompson wrote.
For McDowell Tech, Thompson’s recognition is more than a scholarship announcement. It is a story of a student who responded to disaster first with work, then with service, and now with a renewed commitment to building a future through education.
“Mason represents the best of McDowell County,” Kelley said. “He understands responsibility. He understands community. And he understands that education is one of the ways we rebuild stronger—not just after a storm, but in every season of life.”
To learn more about HopeMill scholarship opportunities, visit https://hopemill.org/resilience-scholarship/ or https://hopemill.org/apply/.
To learn more about scholarship and financial aid opportunities at McDowell Technical Community College, visit https://mcdowelltech.edu/financial-aid/.
