When Hurricane Helene swept through Asheville, North Carolina, devastating communities and displacing families, Butler Men’s Basketball Coach Thad Matta and his wife Barbara felt a deep call to action. Having married in the area years ago and still cherishing connections to the region, the flooding struck a personal chord. 

“Thad and I love the Asheville area, so seeing the devastation hit both of our hearts hard,” Barbara shared. “We wanted to do something meaningful and personal to help.”

It started as a simple idea. While reading a church newsletter, Barbara learned about a relief effort organized by St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, sending a truck of supplies to the impacted region. With some extra Butler gear in mind, she saw an opportunity to combine practical help with Butler spirit. What began as a plan to send a few basketball camp T-shirts soon grew into something much larger. 

“I thought it would be just three or four boxes, but when Janine (Frainier) and Melissa (West) at the Butler Bookstore got involved, we ended up with 60 boxes of Butler gear,” Barbara said. The donations included T-shirts, sweatshirts, and even stuffed animals, all packed with care to bring comfort and hope to hurricane victims.

With help from Corey Thomas and Hal Barney, members of the Butler University Operations team, the boxes were loaded onto pallets and transported to St. Luke’s for the trip to Asheville. They left Indianapolis on a Thursday and arrived in North Carolina by Monday. “It was amazing to see how quickly everyone came together to make this happen,” Barbara said. 

The effort was deeply personal for the Mattas. The connection to Asheville brought a sense of purpose, but it was also an opportunity to show Butler’s values in action. “Sending the gear wasn’t just about the clothes—it was about sending love and hope to people who needed it,” Barbara said. “We wanted to let them know that the Butler community was thinking of them.” 

Barbara’s work with local charities like A Kid Again, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and MLK Center has long emphasized the importance of uplifting others. She also sees it as a chance to inspire Butler student-athletes to make an impact off the court. “School and basketball are important, but making someone else’s day is even more important,” she explained. 

Barbara and Thad have seen firsthand how transformative giving back can be, both for the recipients and those involved in the process, and they have facilitated opportunities for Butler student-athletes to get out into the community. Members of the Men’s Basketball program, including Jalen Thomas, John Michael Malloy, and Finley Bizjack, have helped with efforts for children battling life-threatening conditions, including visits to Riley Children’s Hospital. “Our players have been so thankful to be part of these moments,” Barbara said. “I hope they realize what a blessing it is to be healthy and the impact they can have on someone else’s life.”

As the boxes of Butler gear arrived in North Carolina, the connection to the region came full circle for the Mattas. “It was neat to think about how everything tied back to the community where we got married,” Barbara said. “Helping these families was a small way we could give back to a place that means so much to us.”

For Barbara and Thad, the act of giving is more than a gesture—it reminds them of the power of community and their responsibility to uplift others. For those who received a piece of Butler gear, it is a tangible reminder that they are not alone.