Blythewood High School offers makeover for family’s home devastated by flooding

As part of its annual winter service project, Blythewood High School recently adopted a family who lost virtually every possession, including their home in the October flooding. Friday, December 18, a group of over 30 Blythewood High students will spend all day transforming the family’s house into a home with the donations they have collected throughout this campaign. Preliminary preparation work will be done Thursday as well with a smaller group of BHS students.

Patricia and Willie White lived in the Mallard Pointe Apartments in the Lower Richland Community with their five grandchildren. On the morning of October 4, their first floor apartment was flooded and completely ruined. Clothes, books, toys, furniture, and other personal belongings were destroyed and ruined by the water. They lost virtually everything they owned and were left with only a few changes of clothes. Their apartment was condemned and deemed too unsafe to live in. Since then, this family of seven has been split up and forced to stay in hotels and with friends and family. They have received minimal support and are struggling to get back on their feet. They have recently found a new house but have no means to fill it with the items that will make it a home.

Over the past four weeks, the Bengal Family embraced this family of seven and Friday, December 18, the school will be sending a group of students with, beds, dressers, chairs, TVs, tables, toys, couches, love seats, a refrigerator, stove, washer and dryer, and even a brand new dog bed for the family dog, Tickles. ALL these items were donated by members of the Bengal Family at school and throughout the Blythewood community. In addition, contributions from Beta Club and HOSA students totaling over $5,000 will be used to make the White’s new house, a HOME. The National Honor Society raised over $1,000 in their efforts to “kill” math teacher, Mr. Rusty Curry’s, beard.

Blythewood Middle School’s Enrichment Team also organized their annual Dodgeball for Charity event to help with the project.  Students in every homeroom brought in donations of cash and competed in the tournament.  This year, BMS raised $2,500 which will be used for the White family to purchase appliances and mattresses.

For more information, contact Student Activities Director Fletcher Spigner at [email protected] or call Blythewood High School 803-691-4090.