Gratitude for Everyday Heroes

Heather and YWCA staff with shipment of portable sinks

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we see and appreciate the everyday heroes who go far above and beyond to help neighbors and communities rise back up. At the YWCA, we were anxious to reopen and get our programs up and running. We worked hard to find a way to reopen our child care center, because we know that child care is essential as parents and care givers return to work and school. We had everything in place except for a crucial shipment of portable sinks, the last piece necessary to satisfy licensing requirements for reopening. While we understood that Hurricane Helene had disrupted everyone's logistics, our entire team was disheartened when the shipment hadn’t yet arrived, as many families were relying on us to resume childcare.

In a last attempt to find answers, we drove to the Fed Ex distribution center, and that’s when we met Heather. Without hesitation, she listened to our situation and stepped forward to help. Not only did she look up our shipment, but she also gave us a clear timeline for when we could expect it, allowing us to arrange the final state inspection. Heather went above and beyond by coordinating access to the shipment at 4 a.m. the following morning, ensuring we had everything we needed for the inspector’s visit.

Heather kept us updated from early in the morning, and by 6 a.m., she confirmed that our boxes were in hand, loading them personally into our vehicle by 7 a.m. With her support, we were able to open our doors that day, bringing relief to over 100 families in our community who had been patiently waiting to return to a sense of normalcy.

We are stronger when we work together, and Heather’s care and diligence made all the difference to our families and staff.

Thank you!