REFLECTIONS AFTER
HURRICANE FLORENCE
Dear IJGA Friends and Family,
When asked to provide a submission for this newsletter,
I originally intended to delve further into explication
of our character and leadership initiatives. Then came
Hurricane Florence and the only appropriate topic for
this piece is that of appreciation. As I write this, I look
down Old Carolina Drive and am ever so grateful for
our situation. Not only were we able to safely evacuate
from harm’s potential, but we also were fortunate in that
Hurricane Florence passed us by well to the north. Our
academy home suffered no ill effects from this powerful
storm and we are able to return to our regular schedules
this week.
It’s not lost on me that so many north of us face quite a
different scenario this week – power is still out, waters
are still rising and evacuations still in place. How lucky we
are. As I consider our fortune, I am appreciative to each
and every member of our academy family who made
our safe evacuation possible. From the students who
followed every directive, to the captains who helped
ready their peers for departure, to the team members
who readied facilities for evacuation and then turned
around and offered programming away from home –
it took a village to make the best of a bad a situation.
Just the same, I offer my heartful appreciation to every
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parent email, family contact, or call of encouragement
and well wishes. To be so far away from your children
when the scenario seems so dire cannot be easy. Thank
you for your constant support, which was helpful to our
cause.
We are back now, and we do return to the business of
school, golf and social activities — enjoying the comforts
of our academy home. May each of us take measure to
reflect on this past event — taking time to be grateful for
our good fortune, considering those with less fortune
and committing to doing all we can for whomever we
can. I believe the threat of Florence brought us closer as
an IJGA community — may we be humbled by this and
move onward in our pursuits.
Sincerely, my appreciation,
Erin Elliott
IJGA Director of Student Life