The events of 9-11 caused the Order of Black and Gold to waste no time with planning where their services were needed next.
   As the world watched their televisions in horror and disbelief, this group quickly organized the year’s annual spring project, planned for the dates during Spring Break. Last March, a group of roughly 20 members set out for New York to aide the victims of 9-11 along with Patients with AIDS (PWAs).
   “We looked at the massive destruction where the buildings used to be and at the remains of the buildings near by and it just shook us. Everything was indistinguishable,” said Samaria N. Steele, a sophomore applied communications major. “The people of New York City were different, more humble perhaps. We felt safer walking around the streets, riding in the subways, just talking to people in general because it was like there was a new respect for things, a new respect for the city, for each other, for life.”
    The Order of Black and Gold, established on Nov. 4, 1998, is an organization that gives minority students a chance to give back to Appalachian State University, the community and surrounding areas found in need.
    The Order of Black and Gold also provides oneimportant aspect: the impact of the projects they complete leaves a lasting impression on those they help and themselves.
    “The fact that we help other people not only on our campus but in surrounding areas is important because we are helping those who are less fortunate and in need, like those in 9-11,” said Steele. “That really makes me keep things real in my everyday life and thankful for what I have.”
    The members that traveled to New York were split into two groups. Some delivered food to the PWAs through the organization “God’s Love We Deliver.” Others worked with World Trade Center Ground Relief, a strictly volunteer organization. The Order of Black and Gold’s job was to sort through donations that came in through The Salvation Army and countless businesses.
    “When we were there we weren’t allowed to talk to the firefighters because they had been finding a lot of bodies and were upset. As we were sorting through all of the donations a female firefighter came up to us and asked if she could take her picture with us,” said President Nikki E. Maddox, a graphic arts and imaging technology major.
    “These people were heroes to us, and here she was asking us to take our picture with her. She looked at us as heroes because we were volunteers. She gave me her address and asked me to send her a copy of the picture. That was the most rewarding thing I got out of the whole trip,” said Maddox.
    The Order of Black and Gold is planning their next spring project with hopes that it will be focused in the South. However, the trip made to New York last year has left imprints on their hearts and minds as they prepare for the challenges ahead this year.
    This year the Order of Black and Gold seeks to involve other organizations in the service projects they plan, said Maddox. One of the biggest plans underway is a contest they are working on with Habitat for Humanity in which different clubs and organizations will compete against each other to build animal shelters. A date has not yet been set for this event.
    The Order of Black and Gold is funded largely by churches and local businesses, but fundraisers such as the Order of Black and Gold Party held in Whitewater on Sat., Sept. 7 help to raise money. Other funds come from the work done by members at Appalachian State sporting events and each member’s $15 yearly dues.
    “Our goals are to work specifically with service to others and to provide a sense of community within ourselves,” said Larry E. Smith, a senior management and computer information systems double major. “We are based around the knowledge that we are a brotherhood and sisterhood organization and for us we are not just an organization, we are a family.”