We’ve had a taste of spring in Atlanta this week. Blue skies, daffodils blooming and high’s in the low seventies. It’s the perfect time to reflect on the stories that are emerging from our two winter blasts…unusual for Hotlanta.
My favorite stories come from All About Developmental Disabilities, AADD. It is a group that serves many families who live below the poverty line. These families would be on the streets or homeless, if it weren’t for AADD.
During the first two inch snow fall, Atlanta was stuck in gridlock for 24 hours, longer in some places. As it began to snow, AADD workers began to check on families spread throughout the metro area, and discovered several families were home without food. So the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 28 AADD workers went grocery shopping and delivered food and medicine to families who deal with developmental disabilities. These AADD heroes, serving families who need extra help, then got stuck in their cars for as long as 26 hours. They stayed in their cars all night on the highways, until state officials could release the gridlock.
During the second ice storm, the city and state were better prepared. And so was AADD. Workers went to the homes and delivered food, blankets and clothes before the storm hit. Many of AADD’s families don’t have good winter jackets. So AADD worked with United Way to collect and redistribute jackets to about 50 families. One discovery was brutal. One home had a broken furnace and six children living there. The AADD office small heaters were collected and delivered to the family, until a furnace repairman could be called.
These are dedicated workers who know that many of their families deal with immense physical, medical and intellectual challenges. It could have been a disaster if not for the sacrifices of these unsung heroes.