President's Corner

Our team headed South to help the unfortunate hurricane victims and their families recover. This is a great country and we take care of our own.

A special letter of thanks…

(Originally Written upon our return September 2017)

As I reflect back on the last 4 weeks and more specifically the last 6 days, I realize I am emotionally and physically exhausted.

What started as a small personal desire to help the hurricane Irma victims in Florida became a movement of gigantic proportions. Thanks to the power of social media and Katie Blair (pied piper), if you are reading this today, you changed a life.

There is devastation beyond belief and kindness beyond words.

The team that went with us: Tony Neal, Darryl Henson, Henry Cañas from Virginia and Mike Punte and Seana Lee Jilek from North Carolina never stopped. All worked until very late into the night only to wake up and start all over again the next day. I can never repay them for the support, love and grace they showed the families. The support staff here: Noelle Dormio, Anahi Gonzales, Saul Cañas, his family and so many others worked to sort and prepare all of the donations so we could transition to distributing all collected items immediately upon arrival.

There are so many stories, pictures and videos of complete loss, yet to still see people fighting to survive and help others (strangers) without pause is overwhelming.

A special thanks to the families and significant others that supported this trip without a question.

Jessica Goodall and her team (Melanie and Annie) are the true heroes. They assist Jessica in running Eva’s closet (a nonprofit charity) that supports all of those in need and amazingly helped us distribute what we delivered.

A very special thanks to the following that helped make this dream possible:

• JJ Armstrong for suggesting Eva’s closet which was the perfect location to donate to.
• Katie Blair for running the social media campaign.
• Sterling Mower (Chris and Nick) for donating cases of gas chainsaws, chains and their time tuning up our saws.
• Unjury Protein for donating 10,000 medical grade protein drinks.
• Fastenal for transporting all that we couldn’t carry with us to Florida.
• Michael and Seana Punte life long friends who joined us in North Carolina with their trailer full of donations.
• Dr. Randal Peyton (Arthritis and Sports Medicine) financial support

Through the power of social media, the TV news and my amazing friends we were able to collect the following:

• 10,000 bottles of medical grade protein drinks
• 7,500 bottles of water
• 200 Home Depot buckets filled with cleaning supplies
• 5 tons of clothing
• 2 tons of food

As a team we shared a bond with all we came in contact with. There were a lot of tears, emotions and victory’s and for this I thank you.

God bless all involved and please continue to look toward those that need your help!

Love and Respect…Andy Mortenson