As we approach the holiday season, we want to provide an update on a major upcoming event!  Work on the first bridge in the LDR Carolinas’ Bridging Together partnership with Mennonite Disaster Service is planned to begin on January 6 near Hendersonville, NC.

This first bridge will be an opportunity to show partner organizations how to build using this resilient bridge design, as we begin gearing up to have multiple teams planning and building bridges simultaneously. Some participants will be from partner organizations through VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster).  Others come from the commercial world with equipment and bridge design and construction knowledge. Volunteers are essential for this project; we hope new ones will be trained during this event.

On Monday, January 6, 2025, the workshop, “Presentation & Demonstration of the Pile Driving Technique, ” will begin at 10:00 a.m. and conclude around 11:30 a.m. with lunch. Arrive at the location— 48 Stoney Creek Road, Hendersonville, NC—before 10 and look for the tent. Wear appropriate clothing for outside and a construction site. Attendees MUST RSVP!  To RSVP (or with questions), call, text, or email: Phil Helmuth, phil.helmuth@mds.org, 540-746-2068.

Workshop participants are welcome to stop by and observe the various stages of the bridge-building process from January 6-11, 2025. MDS leadership and volunteers will be on-site to explain the process. You are also invited to attend the Bridge Dedication/Inauguration on January 15, 2025, at 11 a.m. A light lunch will follow.

For more information about Bridging Together or to donate, visit www.ldrcarolinas.org/bridging-together.