After seeing the damage that the Lee County tornadoes caused, which killed nearly two dozen people and left very little in its path, freshman Nicolas Johnson and Kathryn Weatherspoon knew they needed to jump into action.
“They went through devastating tornadoes that took away 23 very important lives and had many different impacts on this state and even this country,” Johnson said, “with our mission statement here at Spring Hill College being to serve others in the best way possible, I just felt that we were obligated to help out in any way we could and we felt that this was the best way to do it. When I contacted organizations that could take what we gave, they said the main thing that they needed at the moment was blankets, so I said, ‘why not start a blanket drive?’ and that is how we got going.”
Johnson knew the demand was high and that he needed to act fast, and was quickly joined by another freshman, Kathryn Weatherspoon, who knew she could help promote the drive. “The weather in Alabama is constantly changing and we’re trying to meet the need that they are about to have with cold fronts. So, we’re not asking a whole lot of people, but just do what you can to help, even if it is just telling your friends and family about it” Weatherspoon said.
Due to high demand, the blankets that were collected from the SHC Lee County blanket drive were sent to those in need on Thursday, March 14. Overall, 23 blankets were collected during the drive. “I want everyone to take this seriously and say to themselves, ‘is this something I should be doing?’, and of course it is. We all have a duty to one another to help those that are not as fortunate as we are, and this is something that everyone should be involved in” Johnson said.
Although the SHC drive has officially ended, there is still a long period of healing left for those in Lee County, and there are plenty of ways to get involved. For those interested, reach out to the local Salvation Army or the American Red Cross to receive more information regarding ways to donate.