Athens High School student working to help Florida community after Hurricane Helene

ATHENS, Ala. ( WHNT ) — An Athens High School student is working to make a difference in a Florida community hit by Hurricane Helene.

Athens High School sophomore John Lawrence Chittam said he saw the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene and began to look into ways he could help areas affected.

He started Project: Apollo Beach Dolphins, named after Apollo Beach Elementary School in Tampa, Florida.

You can read Chittam’s statement posted by Athens High School Baseball on Facebook below.

Hello, I am John Lawrence Chittam, a sophomore at Athens High School. After seeing the destruction of Hurricane Helene, I began to look into ways I can help areas affected by the storm. I found out about Apollo Beach K-8 School in Tampa, Florida. The students and faculty have suffered massive loss at their homes and school and anticipate even more with Hurricane Milton expected to land this week.

This is why I have begun Project: Apollo Beach Dolphins, respectively named in honor of their school mascot. After reaching out to Apollo Beach principal, Kelly McMillian, a plan was put together for each teacher to create a wish list of their classroom needs- it can be items or clothes for their students, items the teacher may need, or both. If you are interested in helping out, even with just an item or two, please let me know and I will reach out to you with a classroom you can adopt.

John Lawrence Chittam

News 19 has reached out to Athens City Schools to get a contact for those who want to help Chittam with this project.

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