Thousands of Dougherty County students affected by storms and in need

ALBANY — After thousands of Dougherty County students were negatively impacted by the Jan. 22 tornado, a local business, Rabbitman’s Footwear, located on the corner of East Oglethorpe Boulevard and College Drive, is collecting and donating uniforms to schools in storm-affected areas.

“We just really wanted to help out,” said Elijah Williams, co-owner of Rabbitman’s Footwear. “Everybody’s been helping with food and everything else, but you got kids that need stuff. Especially those kids that lived over in the Paradise Village area. Some of them lost everything.”

According to Williams, his business collected donations that are being used to purchase school uniforms.

“We had a lot people giving donations, and the money we collect goes strictly to buying uniforms,” he said. “We have donated about 2- or 300 pieces. We felt that there was a need and just wanted to help the kids. We have already given to Radium Springs and International Studies. Now we want to get the word out to the community so hopefully more people will get involved and give. We are not giving the uniforms to people that just come in and ask for them, we are giving them to the schools and letting the schools distribute them where they are needed.”

According to J.D. Sumner, a Public Information officer for the Dougherty County School System, thousands of students have been affected by storms that hit the community Jan. 2 and Jan. 22.

“Our DCSS Police Department went around and has been assisting the Dougherty County Police Department in identifying the homes that were impacted,” said Sumner. “The rough estimate is between 2- and 3,000, given the wide swath of neighborhoods that have been either without power or directly impacted and possibly blown away. Every homeroom teacher has been tasked with reaching out to their students to see if they are OK, to see if they have any needs and to remind them that school has started back. We still have several hundred students absent, and we know that at least 18 families have lost everything. These are people whose entire house is gone.”

Sumner stressed the importance of community and business donations after such a destructive event.

“Community involvement and generosity is crucial to helping kids come back with a sense of normalcy and to have the supplies they need,” he said. “When you lose your house, of course, the most important thing is to secure things like shelter, food and water. Then, way down on the list of needs, are things like school supplies. But it is still so important for helping these kids.”

For more information or to donate, call Rabbitman’s Footwear at (229) 436-1617.