Kindness is the thing that makes the world go round

By Julianna McGahee | Contributor

On the night of Sept. 26, what was expected to be a tropical storm turned into a Category 4 hurricane. That next morning, everything changed for the city of Augusta.

Lorelei Culbreth, a student at Augusta University and an Augusta native, was one of many affected by this unexpected, natural disaster.

“My childhood neighborhood was completely unrecognizable,” said Culbreth. “The woods and the creek I had grown up playing in were destroyed. The storm had completely changed the horizon that I had grown up with. There were dozens of power lines down and countless trees. Many of the people in the neighborhood were already sawing through trees, one by one, and making sure everyone was safe. I saw the destruction of my neighborhood that I have known for all of my life and wanted to cry but couldn’t.”

Culbreth went to survey the damage the morning after the storm and see what exactly had happened to her childhood home out in Evans, Georgia. Her priority was to get to her parents’ house, but she was initially unable to because of the debris.

A family living in the neighborhood saw her as she was walking through the neighborhood and engaged in conversation with her because they didn’t recognize her and were concerned. After talking with her, they offered her a ride on their four-wheeler so she could get to her parents’ house. The kind family even shared their phone number with Culbreth so they could make sure she got to the house safely.

“Kindness is the thing that makes the world go round,” said Culbreth. “If we didn't have kindness, we wouldn't have anything. It is very sweet when you get to see a community come together as much as it has gotten to over the last few weeks.”

Hally Ledford, an AU student, was sleeping in her Augusta home when the storm hit. She was woken up suddenly to her room flooding. When describing the damages and hardships she and her family faced due to the hurricane, she spoke about how there was a large tree in her backyard that fell, as well as that power and water were out for her and her family for a long time.

“It was really humid in my room because it had started to leak, so I wasn't sleeping well,” said Ledford when describing what she saw and heard when first waking up amidst the storm. “You could hear the rain getting worse and then dying down and then the wind starting to pick up throughout the morning. I was really scared because we were in our own little bubble and I had no idea what was happening outside and that was really scary, especially since it was dark.”

Among the destruction and chaos, Ledford too experienced an act of kindness. Her neighbors, whom she did not even know that well, cooked her and her family breakfast using their gas stove. Ledford and her family had been working for five consecutive hours, trying to bail out water from the basement and getting the house situated after the storm.

“It meant a lot to me because I personally have never even met them. The act of kindness helped show me that if we banded together, we could get through it together,” said Ledford.

Despite the devastation that Augusta suffered, the community still came together and supported one another during this time.

Adam Barton, an Augusta resident who works for an AU on-campus organization, Campus Outreach, was also affected by the hurricane. He had approximately eight trees fall in his yard, two on his house, and one on his car that ended up totaling it.

“In the moments of the hurricane, I was locked in. I was doing whatever was necessary to keep my family safe,” said Barton when reflecting on his thoughts during the storm. “My eyes and ears were glued to the forecast and on the trees above our house.”

After the storm, Barton experienced an act of kindness that changed his life. A few days post-hurricane, he was notified that a friend from Kentucky wanted to donate a car to someone in need, and Barton happened to be that person. He was then given a car for free. Before the storm, he was driving a 2007 Ford Focus and was then graciously gifted a 2020 Jeep Compass.

After experiencing such a selfless act of kindness, Barton’s outlook on life was changed.

“It means everything to me,” said Barton. “It means that I have a car for hopefully the next decade. It means that my kid will have a car to ride in for hopefully the next 10 years of her life, and it means that with whatever stuff I'm gifted or given in the future, I want to give back to others. I already had hope, but the act of kindness gave me extended hope in the willingness of others to help those in need. I have hope in the resilience and kindness of those around me.”

Each of these individuals recognized that even in times of devastation, kindness remained. As AU presses forward, things will never be quite the same. Yes, the knocked-over powerlines and trees are a reminder that lives were uprooted amidst disaster, but it is also a reminder of the people who gave to others, who stepped up to the plate and displayed humanity and empathy in a time when they were also struggling themselves.

 How can you choose to be kind and change someone’s life today?

Contact Julianna McGahee at jumcgahee@augusta.edu.