Lee County School District teams up with Miami Dolphins to distribute supplies in the wake of Hurricane Ian
The Miami Dolphins teamed up with World Central Kitchen to hand out items like hot food, water and other supplies to community members, including students affected by Hurricane Ian's impacts.
Lee County School District teams up with Miami Dolphins to distribute hurricane supplies
The Lee County School District is teaming up with the Miami Dolphins to distribute hurricane supplies and hot meals to families following Hurricane Ian. FOX Weather's Will Nunley reports.
NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. – North Fort Myers High School, like many other schools in Southwest Florida, has been unable to reopen in the wake of Hurricane Ian, which made landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm at the end of September, but that doesn't mean the campus isn't active.
FOX Weather multimedia journalist Will Nunley is at North Fort Myers High School, where members of the Miami Dolphins arrived to help with storm-relief efforts in the community.
The Miami Dolphins teamed up with World Central Kitchen to hand out items like hot food, water and other supplies to community members, including students affected by Hurricane Ian's impacts.
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Nunley spoke with the principal of North Fort Myers High School, who offered some perspective on what students, including student-athletes, have been dealing with over the past several years with COVID-19 shutdowns, protocols and lost in-person learning time.
She said this was going to be the year that things began to get back to normal – until Hurricane Ian.
"Monday, the last day of school before the storm came, that was our kickoff for Homecoming," principal Deborah Diggs said. "So, it was going to be our first full-blown Homecoming with dress-ups, and we had the dance scheduled. And for the fall athletes, for seniors, this is their last season of play, and it has been absolutely shut down for them."
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She said that's part of the reason why she's making sure some of the student-athletes are mingling with members of the Miami Dolphins to get some one-on-one time with them.
"You're talking about a lot of players in terms of a recruitment effort," Nunley said. "And truly trying to develop relationships with colleges. All of that has been really put into question at this point. Because their season is on hold if they can even play at all."
Diggs said she and a lot of the student-athletes are viewing this event as a little bit of a bright spot to get out and connect with the community to do what they can to offer a little help to those that need it most.