With Love from Oklahoma

Submitted by Paula Murphy
    When 10 year old, Kevin Eddings, from Bartlesville, Oklahoma heard about the Louisiana Flood of 2016, he told his parents that he would like to help.  He had an idea to make gift bags, containing school supplies and a candy treat for kids who were affected by the flood.  He immediately got busy making phone calls and getting sponsors to donate supplies or money to purchase supplies.  With the help of family and friends, they assembled 847 bags.  When Kevin heard that Tanglewood Elementary School had flooded, he decided to give a bag to every Tanglewood student who had been displaced to Central Intermediate School while their school was being repaired.  On Thursday, September 22, his grandmother, Pam Eddings, drove him from Bartlesville to Baton Rouge.  On Friday, September 23, he was welcomed at CIS by Tanglewood Principal, Julie Stevens, and first grade teacher, Sherry Brown.  They guided Kevin and his cousins, Noah & Joseph Whatley as they passed out supplies to all 700 Tanglewood students.  The remainder of his gift bags were given first graders at Ryan Elementary in Baton Rouge, and to 3 churches to be passed out to kids who were affected by the flood.