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                                                                                                                                                                                                                        IMMEDIATE                                                                                                                                    SEPTEMBER 10, 2004

                                                                  FRANCES REFUGEE GIVES ACCOLADES TO ABAC

TIFTON—Like most Floridians, Willard Lindsay of Wildwood, Fla., and his family braved Frances’ wrath by heading north. But how he arrived in Tifton and at the shelter that Abraham Baldwin College provided was just as unexpected as his evacuation from his home state.

“My transmission went out Friday night while trying to get out of Florida. A paramedic and sheriff tried to help, but couldn’t do anything. Then a deputy sheriff stopped by,” Lindsay said, admitting he only knows the man’s first name. . . Ernest.

“I had been sitting there all night with my wife and son. Then he showed up and got everything done. He was like a bulldog with a bone. He was the one who got me a place at the shelter,” said Lindsay.

Lindsay arrived at the shelter and stayed there for three days. “Considering the circumstances, it was fantastic. We didn’t have time to worry about our situation because the volunteers were always doing something to keep your mind off of it. The Disaster Relief team and the Red Cross were awesome. They just jumped in whenever they were needed.”

            One volunteer member from ABAC’s staff was Penny Chesnut, advisor of the Baptist Student Union. “Ms. Penny was amazing. She’s the Disaster Relief Queen,” said Lindsay. “The ABAC Police Department did a great job of making sure everything ran smoothly.”

But what Lindsay was most impressed by was ABAC’s student volunteers.  “They were amazing; out of the ordinary. Most students are too busy doing their own thing to help out like they did. They are an example of how people should be.

“The students pretty much adopted my son and made sure he fit right in. It was just one big vacation to him. That was the best part for me.”

Lindsay has yet to receive word on any damages sustained to his home, but plans to return home within a few days. “All I can say is ‘thank you’ to everyone who helped me and my family. Everyone we met was fantastic. For being in a strange place, we couldn’t have asked for anything better.”