CNN —
American golfer Harold Varner III is on hand to help with relief efforts in his home state of North Carolina, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Helen, the worst to hit the continental United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2016. , set the club aside. 2005.
The hurricane tore a devastating path through the southeastern United States a week ago, killing more than 200 people nationwide and at least 106 in North Carolina.
Barner, who was born in Ohio and raised in North Carolina, turned professional in 2012, won three times on tour, and joined the Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf in August 2022, where he also enjoyed success, especially in 2023. He experienced victory at LIV Golf. Washington DC event.
But over the past few days, Varner and his team have been focused on leveraging resources to help those who need it most.
“You want to be there for the people who have been there for you,” Varner said in an interview with CNN World Sports’ Patrick Snell.
“Obviously, for most of my life, everyone was there for me and I just happened to not be playing golf, so it worked out.
“It was a great opportunity to help out if I could. I think a lot of people are helping out and I’m just trying to do my part to the best of my ability.”
According to his GoFundMe page, more than $10,000 has been raised so far, and Varner and the HV3 team are distributing critical relief supplies and conducting relief efforts in communities across Western North Carolina.
But they know they can’t do it alone, and have asked for critical supplies such as chainsaws, fuel, generators and medical equipment to be delivered to those in need.
“I’m learning that people are very resilient and even if you lose everything, you just speak up and try your best to help. By doing that, you can take away what you’ve been hoarding. “It gives you a slightly different perspective on material things and who’s in your life,” Varner says.
“A lot of people are helping just by knowing that there is a missing person. It’s not just me, it just happened to be a voice.
“I think you’re just trying to do the right thing. I wasn’t forced to do this, I was asked to do this, and I think it’s necessary to help people try to understand that.” We’re just trying to find as many people as we can. There’s no perfect way to deal with this, so just do your best.”
Massive relief efforts are underway across the region to restore power grids and rebuild damaged water and mobile infrastructure. Hundreds of roads remain closed, hampering efforts to send aid to hard-hit communities. And for those who left before Hurricane Helen, the closures have hampered efforts to check on family, friends and homes.
In fact, access to some areas has become so difficult that supplies are being delivered by mule or plane. Berner pointed out that from his first-hand experience, people need access to insulin and warm clothing.
For Varner, who just completed his latest season of LIV golf, his response to the extreme danger posed by Hurricane Helen showed what can be accomplished through teamwork outside of the sport.
Varner and his team spent two days on the field immediately after the hurricane, but Varner made it clear on his Instagram page that he did not want any video broadcasts, saying “This is personal.” did.
But after witnessing the devastation, he changed his mind and said, “We need to get this on video, we need to let people know how bad this is.” I need more help. ”
“It’s clearly making a difference because I’m talking to you,” Berner said, pointing to the impact of the CNN interview in terms of broader awareness.
“You have seen devastation, you have seen these things that you would wish would never happen to you, but more importantly, if you were in that predicament, someone would come to your rescue. That’s what we do. You know, I try to be as optimistic as possible.”
Optimism isn’t the only thing he has at his disposal. Varner has a realistic plan to put the personal wealth he has earned through his golf career to good use in continuing relief efforts.
“It’s important to be kind and obviously be generous with your time and money,” he says.
“But when you’re grieving, whether you’ve lost someone or lost your home or whatever it is, comfort them.”
His optimism also extends to what success on the golf course in 2025 can actually mean for the broader community off the course.
“Yeah, I want to win,” Varner concluded. “There’s a lot of money to be made. It costs a lot of money to help people, but if I win, I can help even more people.”
Click here to find out how you can help those left behind in the aftermath of Helen.
