Photo By Tech. Sgt. Cameron Lewis | A group of local volunteers pose for a group photo in Sept. 27, 2018, in front of a...... read more read more
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Georgetown, S.C. (Sept. 29, 2018) – For the National Guard Soldiers and Airmen that were activated in support of Hurricane Florence and its aftermath, their shifts begin by rolling out of their cots and putting on their wet, sweaty and dirty uniforms from their previous days’ work.
Wearing their soiled clothes doesn’t even phase them. They’ve done it before. After all, they signed up to serve their country and help their communities in times of need. They could try to locate a laundromat, but they are on a 24/7 mission, preparing the Georgetown area for possible floods.
“Monday morning [Sept. 24] we saw a post from a local citizen who volunteered to serve breakfast at the middle school where a group of service members are staying,” said Latasha Davis, a local Georgetown citizen.
The Facebook post said the exhausted Soldiers were having to take their rest time to try and clean their clothes at local laundromats. Davis, with the help of 30 local women and their families, along with the Habitat for Humanity Georgetown decided to take action.
“With all the hard work the Soldiers are doing for our community they should be resting during their rest time, not trying to find places to clean their clothes,” said Davis. “So that day I went and spoke to an officer about what we wanted to do.”
Once they received the okay, the group of local ladies cleared their schedules. They were eager to provide the Soldiers and Airmen with freshly laundered clothing.
The “laundry fairies” began taking mounds of dirty clothes to their homes to wash each service members’ dirty grime off their clothing, one bag at a time in their personal washers and dryers.
“One morning, when I went to pick up clothes, I had a Soldier ask to take a picture and thank us for what we are doing,” said Christine Cribb, a laundry fairy and the resource development director with Habitat for Humanity Georgetown. “Within an hour his mother was calling me in tears thanking us for taking care of her Soldier.”
For the laundry fairies that’s what it’s all about. Paying it forward and giving back to the community. Having washed, dried, and folded more than 120 loads of laundry of the past few days, the crew of laundry fairies have done just that.
“My son is in the Navy,” said Jennifer Avant, a laundry fairy and finance and family services employee with Habitat for Humanity Georgetown. “I would hope if he’s ever in a situation like this someone would step up and take care of him.”
With signs posted all throughout the service members current living quarters, hundreds of Soldiers and Airmen have stopped in awe and showed their gratitude for the laundry services these ladies are providing.
Spc. John Harris, a lightweight vehicle mechanic with the 125th Multi-Role Bridge Company, South Carolina National Guard, believes they call themselves the laundry fairies because they have a fast turn around.
“I can give them my uniform when I finish my shift, and by the time I wake up they are right where I left them; washed and folded with some goodies and a note,” said Harris.
The laundry fairies have truly gone the extra mile to support and provide a little piece of home to the Soldiers and Airmen working in the Georgetown area.
“For those who give us their laundry in a trash bag, we then give them a pillowcase with their clean clothes returned,” said Davis. “That way they don’t have to continue using a torn up trash bag as a laundry bag.”
This group of ladies are doing whatever it takes to ensure the service members know how grateful the community is for everything they’ve done.
“These guys and gals are going the whole nine yards for the community, so we need to go the whole nine yards for them,” said Cribb. “We would want someone to take care of our husbands, wives or kids if they happened to be in the same situation.”
Having laundered clothes is such a creature comfort that most wouldn’t even think about not having, said Annette Perreault, a fairy and executive direct of Habitat Humanity Georgetown.
“Providing them with this service is such an incredible gift that we can give back,” said Perreault. “All we can say is thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you guys are doing to keep our community safe.”
| Date Taken: | 09.29.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2018 08:44 |
| Story ID: | 294958 |
| Location: | GEORGETOWN, SC, US |
| Hometown: | ABBEVILLE, SC, US |
| Hometown: | BATESBURG, SC, US |
| Hometown: | GEORGETOWN, SC, US |
| Hometown: | JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, US |
| Hometown: | MADISON, WI, US |
| Hometown: | MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 1,148 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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