Another school shooting - I need to do something

I don't usually do this sort of thing, but...

I just sat and watched a half hour of news coverage of the latest school shooting, and I am shaken. Seventeen people died in the fifth incident of 2018 in which a student or former student killed someone on high school property. If that wasn't bad enough, the latest headline on our local paper says, "Report: Man threatened shootout." Right here in little, old Dayton, Tennessee! As much as I'd like to pretend otherwise, we live in a dangerous world, and the danger is right here.

And I can't just sit here and be sad again. I need to do something.

So I'm asking today for money to help improve the security at our local Christian school, Rhea County Academy. This is not an official, sanctioned RCA fundraiser. I am doing this on my own. I am a part-time teacher there, and I am a concerned citizen of Rhea County. I do not want to see this sort of tragedy here. I watched an interview this morning of a teacher in Florida who said that her security training helped her know what to do when the shooting started. I'm happy to say that we RCA teachers have had training on multiple occasions, but the RCA facility could use improvement. The security fence needs upgrading, and they could really use additional security cameras all over the school. As I'm sure you know, it's difficult for a small Christian school to afford these kinds of improvements, since they can't just double tuition or hike your taxes. So I'm hoping to raise $6,000 to help the school make these important upgrades. I honestly don't know if that will cover everything, but it will help!

I really wish we didn't have to think about such things, but we do. If you know anyone at RCA - a child, grandchild, younger sibling, niece, nephew, neighbor, friend, whatever - will you please consider contributing to their safety? I'm raising money right now through Facebook. If you can't help financially, will you share this fundraiser? If you don't like giving through Facebook, I understand. I'm sure the RCA office would be happy to take any checks or cash. Just tell them what it's for. Their mailing address is P.O. Box 925, Dayton, TN 37321. Make checks payable to "Rhea County Academy."

And hey, if you don't really want to support Rhea County Academy, why don't you call your local school and see if there's anything you can do to help them there?

Let's do what we can right now to make sure that we won't be mourning our students and teachers here in Rhea County. Thank you!


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