When temperatures reach 90 and above, you may want to get outside in the sunshine for a while. Then, you’re probably ready to run back home to the comfort of air conditioning.
But what if you didn’t have it?
The sweltering heat can be dangerous for the elderly or those with health conditions that make it difficult to breathe. So, a new fan delivered to your door could be a lifesaving gesture.
“It’s been like hell,” Marilyn Partlow said.
She’s one of many older central Ohioans living without air conditioning.
“I’ve got COPD and it bothers me to even talk so it’s been horrible,” Partlow said.
That’s why LifeCare Alliance collects new fans that have been donated by big-hearted people and organizations in our community.
These fans give Partlow and many others some much needed relief.
“If it weren’t for the community’s help we absolutely would not be able to do this,” Anthony Clemente from LifeCare Alliance said.
Volunteers have been showing up at their headquarters on Harmon Avenue in South Franklinton to pick up fans and deliver them across town to people who need them.
Bonnie Newlin volunteers to deliver fans in her neighborhood every year. When asked why she does it, her answer was simple.
“Because somebody did it for me,” she said. “I didn’t have funds for a fan and so they brought me a fan. So now, I want to give back for how they’ve done for me when it was really, really hot and I was struggling.”
LifeCare Alliance works hard to get the fan donations and get them out to the elderly and people who can’t afford to buy fans for their home.
Clemente says he was overwhelmed that even during this COVID-19 pandemic, the giving didn’t stop.
“It’s so refreshing to see people come together in a way where they can help another person, someone they don’t even know,” Clemente said.
So, if you’ve been wondering “Where’s the Love?” you don’t have to look far. We found it in South Franklinton.
If you’d like to help, you can donate a new fan at any fire station in Franklin, Madison or Marion counties. Or you can drop it off at the LifeCare Alliance building on Harmon Avenue.
We want to hear from you about where you found the love. If you know of a person doing something kind for someone else and spreading the love, tell us about it. We may feature them in an upcoming story.