On Saturday, Sept. 28, Will and Jamison had plans to take the visiting Toyota representative out for the day, show him around town and relax while watching a little football. The Ole Miss Rebels and Kentucky Wildcats were facing off at Vaught Hemingway Stadium. Although Ole Miss lost to Kentucky, the day was a success when it came to business and building relationships. Unbeknownst to the group, at the same time they were cheering for their team, Hurricane Helene was unleashing devastation on neighboring states. The Category 4 hurricane showed no mercy as large swaths of North Carolina and Tennessee were washed away in the subsequent flooding. Sunday came and went for both Will and Jamison. They were both aware that the storm had hit but had no idea that multiple dams had broken and so many fellow Americans were facing dire circumstances. Early Monday morning, even before he got to work, Will started receiving alarming calls from a couple of his employees. The employees had family members who lost everything in the floods of Hurricane Helene. One of those employees, Benny, asked if a trailer could be placed at the dealership, near the road, in view of passersby, letting everyone know that donations were being accepted for the victims. Without hesitation, Will said, “Yeah! Let’s get a cargo trailer, and we’ll put it out front.” After hanging up, Will jumped into action, alerting Jamison and others to the dire situation, calling the local radio station and asking for airtime, and getting a sign made to hang on the trailer. “The trailer was there within a matter of hours,” Jamison said. “We hung the donation sign and the American flag on the trailer and parked it close to the highway so it would catch a lot of attention.” That afternoon, Will and Jamison got on the radio and asked the local community for help. The first donation came within a few hours. “I remember the first person from the public who came to drop something off. It was that Monday afternoon, and we were so excited!” Will continued, “We weren’t sure 13
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