Helping hands

My favorite stories are the ones about people either overcoming obstacles in their lives or helping other people.

With the Bob Harris story, I got both.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Bob. Fifteen months ago, a tree-cutting accident left him paralyzed from the top of his shoulders to the tip of his toes.

It was a devastating injury for a man who was once a star on Cochran High School’s state championship track team in 1973 and was MVP of the football team.

But one of the ways Bob has gotten over feeling sorry for himself has been through the love shown to him by his classmates.

Three dozen of them got together a few weeks ago and started building him a Habitat for Humanity house. Now, these things usually take as long to build as it does for a woman to have a baby – nine months.

But, as group spokesman Ken Davis said, “This is not a normal house.’’

The Cochran Class of ’73 was one of the first in the Bleckley County school system to be integrated. It is is full of folks who no longer look anything like their senior pictures.

They have come together in a powerful way to help a classmate who earned the respect of his classmates then – and now.

If you would like to donate funds to help with Bob’s house, please make your tax deductible check payable to “Habitat for Humanity” and mail it to:

Habitat for Humanity
711 Soperton Hwy
Eastman, GA 31023
(In the memo section of the check put: Bob Harris 73)

Should you wish to volunteer your time or donate any goods or services your company could make available to help build Bob’s house, please contact Dean Smith of Habitat for Humanity at 478-374-2193 or you can email him at habitatgds@bellsouth.net. If you are a Cochran High School 1973 graduate and would like to join the Cochran High 73 group web site please email Kenneth Davis at kennethclydedavis@comcast.net