CONWAY, Ark. (KTHV) - A Conway Christian High School senior is adding a little sunshine to a community overcoming a storm.
After seeing Hurricane Florence devastate the east coast on live television in September, Jacob Bowman hit the road running to help bring relief to his Conway friends in South Carolina.
“My dad and I started talking about how we have a connection there and how there’s a Conway Christian school in Conway, South Carolina,” said Bowman. “So I started coming up with ways in which I could help them and raise money for them.”
Bowman went to his superintendent, Jason Carson, and the two paired up to start collecting monetary donations, which led the senior to create the Conway Helping Conway initiative.
“As soon as I heard the idea, I thought this thing really has legs, this can go somewhere,” said Carson.
Bowman and Carson ended up getting all of Conway involved by hosting coin collections at local schools to reaching out to the local hospital, city and business leaders.
“I know some people who've had their homes wiped out by a tornado, it literally just changes your life,” said Bowman.
So far, Bowman has raised $15,000. Tuesday morning, his school hosted a special-called assembly to recognized his efforts. That’s where he received a box from Conway, South Carolina. Inside were goodies, including a Conway Strong t-shirt, a hat and a key to the city.
"While I can't replace the irreplaceable items, I can replace the spot in their lives that's just dark because they lost everything,” said Bowman.
Bowman’s goal is to reach $50,000, and he would like you to get involved. If you’d like to be a part of the Conway Helping Conway initiative, you can make a donation here.
“We can help them rebuild, and maybe find those priceless items again,” said Bowman.