Personal Injury Attorney in Conway, SC

CONWAY, S.C. (WMBF) - As the battle to fight the wildfires in Southern California continues, we are getting a clear picture of what has been left behind.

Cotton GDS in Conway, is joining parent company Cotton Holdings, Inc. based in Houston Texas, in collecting items for the fire victims.

“Cotton is asking the community to come together, look through their closets, spend just a few minutes and part with something that they think that they can let go,” said Zinat Ahmed, executive vice president of Cotton Holdings, Inc.

The effects of the fires will no doubt be felt in the months and years to come as people rebuild where entire neighborhoods have been leveled.

This is one of the reasons why the company wants to help.

“They are our neighbors in California who need these pieces a little bit more than us right now. It just takes a few minutes to go to your closet, pick out a couple of things, get in your car, and drop them off in our Conway location. From there we’re gonna make sure it gets to the right folks in California who need them,” said Ahmed.

Cotton Global Disaster Solutions was founded in 1996 and is the restoration arm of Cotton Holdings, a leading infrastructure support services company providing solutions such as property restoration and recovery.

Representatives are on the ground in the hardest hit areas of Los Angeles assessing the current needs of those involved.

“Our goal is to get out as many pieces of clothing to the women and children. Everyone in every county possible. We have boots on the ground right now doing assessments, but we’re also getting feedback for those who need us,” said Ahmed.

Two crates sit outside the main entrance door at the Conway location and are able to take all donations.

They are looking for slightly used clothing, hygiene products, diapers, children’s clothing, new underwear and even toys for the smallest victims.

The crates will be out front until Wednesday at 5 p.m. At that point, all collected items will be sent to Houston, where they will be sorted, loaded on semi trucks and hauled to Los Angeles for distribution.

Teams will evaluate needs from there and could consider other collection drives in the future.

Cotton GDS is located at 2939 Highway 65, Bldg. #2, Conway, SC 29526.

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CONWAY, S.C. (WMBF) - You’ve probably driven by a Conway chapel dozens of times, and not even realized it.

Because of its size, it can be easy to miss.

But for many, the Travelers Chapel is a place of refuge.

The building has all the markings of a typical chapel - a stained-glass window, Bibles on the pews and a cross at the altar.

It’s also home to a lot of weddings.

“Over the years, I’ve probably done a couple hundred here,” said Eric Hunt, Myrtle Beach Wedding Officiant.

It also is a place for people in their darkest moments.

That’s exactly what the founders of the Travelers Chapel had in mind. They designed it in 1972, right off Highway 501.

“It is a tiny chapel. It’s actually one of the smallest churches or chapels in the United States. 24 [feet] by 12 [feet],” said Hunt.

Since the chapel opened, no one has ever been locked out, day or night. But for such a small place, it has certainly had its fair share of challenges.

“I had no idea that it was going to be as involved,” said Mike Strite, the current president of the volunteer-run board that oversees the chapel. “We needed to put new siding on the building, so we did that. Then we needed a new roof, got that done. Then we had the hurricane which knocked a tree down, tore the electrics off,”

He said he got “voluntold” to help, but has enjoyed every minute of it - even when he has to deal with occasional vandalism and even a fire at one point.

But no deterrent has stopped the mission.

Strite hopes that never happens, but there is a looming hurdle on the horizon.

“All of us who are involved now are older, and getting older, and things are more difficult to do so we’re looking to get some new blood involved,” he said.

He is not willingly stepping down anytime soon, but he is open to accepting help. Strite said the board will meet sometime in the new year to discuss potential new leaders.

As president, Strite does a lot more than building maintenance. He also stops by once a month to collect pages from the guest book.

″I probably have a stack that’s this high of those sheets. I have them all in the filing cabinet back there," said Strite.

One memory sticks with him, though.

“There was a full bottle of whiskey sitting up on the counter on the front and there was a note that said, ‘I came here to end my life, but I found Jesus instead’,” he said. “Things like that, that people have written in that book are just amazing.”

Strite keeps each page and prays over each one.

″It has been really rewarding to see what happens and how God works. You know people say they walked into the chapel, and they could feel the Holy Spirit. And that’s amazing,“ he said.

For the past 52 years, people have passed through the Travelers Chapel, some hopeful about the start of a new life. Others, in despair, seem about to give up altogether.

The pages of the book kept up front, tell those stories.

And in that book, there’s plenty of blank space.

Stay with WMBF News for updates.

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