In October of last year, I watched in awe from 736 miles away while 17 people lost their lives and more than 160,000 lost their homes. It is a useless, powerless feeling. That is why we had to put our spurs up to help our friends in South Carolina in their time of need. Now in my own backyard, 13 people have died and nearly 40,000 have lost their homes.
I slowly scrolled through my Twitter timeline just a week ago. It was populated with scenes of torrential rain, helpless families, and forecasts for worse to come. It has been a tough summer for Baton Rouge. Though, I did have to smile when I came across a tweet from a long-dormant account: @UofSCRelief – “#UofSC20 if you have extra cleaning supplies or anything you can donate for the victims in Baton Rouge, let us know.” It was the beginning of a campaign that would culminate in two trucks full of supplies headed straight to LSU. University of South Carolina, it was your turn, and I cannot ever thank you enough for it.
As a part of the SEC family, you all can relate that it is nearly impossible to explain to anyone on the outside what it is like to be a Gamecock or a Tiger. We have a sense of pride in our communities unlike any other. We come together. We believe in fight and resiliency. They are tenets on the football field every Saturday in the fall, but that same fight and resiliency manifest itself in our love and kindness to one another.
Thank you to the University of South Carolina and the City of Columbia. Thank you so much for all you have done for LSU and Baton Rouge. Thank you for the clothing. Thank you for the food. Thank you for the cleaning supplies. Thank you for the bottled waters. Thank you for your generosity and charity.
Forever to thee, University of South Carolina. For us, it just means more.