6:00: Morning News

Students working together to assist long-term flood recovery in Richwood

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — A number of high school students in Harrison County are teaming up with students in Nicholas County to raise money for students impacted by the floods of June 23, but it is not your typical fundraiser.

Trina Runner, the business education teacher at Bridgeport High School, is helping students from BHS and Richwood High School collaborate on a small business start-up–tying together the needs of flood-affected students and a desire to give her students real-world experience in business.

“We’ve gone through the pricing analysis and the promotional campaign,” she said Thursday on “The Mike Queen Show” on the AJR News Network. “So the students are getting every aspect of entrepreneurial skills hands on. It’s been really beneficial.”

Runner, a Richwood native, is collaborating with former Richwood High School principal Jimmy Weber to help the two business teams–about two hours away from each other–maintain a strong collaborative effort.

“I have a team of students from here,” she said. “He has a team of students in Richwood. We have decided to collaborate and open a store in Richwood, where all the proceeds go to students affected by the flood.”

The students decided to open a high-end consignment store with a Richwood theme. The “Axe Factor,” which plays off of Richwood’s rich history in the lumber industry, could bring in a profit of $10,000 during it’s first year.

“We’ve gone through every single step of opening a business as if it were something up here, but we are just doing it down there,” she said.

The town of Richwood took on major damage during the flooding, which will result in the closure of Richwood High School and Richwood Middle School. Students are being housed throughout the county in different buildings temporarily until the county Board of Education can bring in modular units.

Eventually, the plan is to build a new school or schools–provided they are built outside of the 100-year flood zone.

“That [$10,000 profit] would provide some great scholarships for the kids down there,” Runner said.

Runner said they have the funds necessary to open, but are still looking for additional investors.

“Through the generosity of our community and their community, we have currently raised about $5,000, which is good for a start-up cost,” she said. “But we’re going to continue to try to get investors that are willing to help us out there so that we can really help out the students down there.”

“We are seeking donations from people in clothing. We are also seeking monetary donations. They can send that to Bridgeport High School in my name, Trina Runner. Just put in the memo section that it is a donation for Richwood.”

Clothing donations can also be dropped off at the public libraries in Bridgeport and Richwood.

The store will be located on Main Street in Richwood.





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