The color of caring
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on March 3, 2013 1:50 AM
News-Argus/MICHAEL BETTS
Faith Christian first-graders, from left, Emily Strickland, Alli Weisiger and Lilly Bailey scream their approval for a fellow classmate's all yellow outfit during the "Yellow Day" assembly at the school. The assembly was part of a weeklong fundraiser for Floydie Harris, father of two Faith students, who was recently injured in a truck accident.
News-Argus/MICHAEL BETTS
Dann Patrick, pastor at Faith Free Will Baptist Church, donned a yellow wrist band, sold last week as part of a fundraiser supporting the Floydie Harris family, on his head, as well as red and yellow Converse shoes and a yellow plaid jacket.
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News-Argus/MICHAEL BETTS
Faith Christian Academy fifth-grader Carissa Holloman holds a yellow flower and has a yellow bird on her shoulder during the "Yellow Day" assembly at the school. The assembly was part of a weeklong fundraiser for Floydie Harris, a father of two students at the school, who was recently injured in a truck accident.
A weeklong effort to support the father of two students at Faith Christian Academy was a "tremendous success," principal Walter Sloan said Friday night.
Since the Jan. 31 freak accident -- when a fully loaded semi truck left the roadway and struck Floydie Harris in his yard on Pecan Road in Dudley -- Harris has undergone multiple surgeries, including partial amputation of his right leg at Vidant Hospital in Greenville. During that time, the family's church and school have rallied to lend support.
The week of Feb. 25-March 1 was deemed "Floydie Harris Week" at the school where two of his sons are students.
Yellow wristbands bearing the message, "It's for Floydie -- We Care!" were sold, and an array of fundraisers, including a bake sale, barbecue sale and competitions between classrooms, were held to generate donations.
But perhaps the best news came mid-week, when Harris learned he would be released from the hospital. His wife, Rhonda, brought him home Thursday.
"He's still got quite a few months" of recuperation, said his mother, Shirley Harris, who ran Capt. Bob's Seafood in Goldsboro for 15 years with her husband and now lives in Greenville. "He's still not able to do anything with his left leg. That has to heal up before he can do physical therapy."
She said her son's spirits have remained positive.
"His outlook and all is good," she said Friday morning. "He's amazing. He's really strong, so that's a blessing. The Lord has really been with us all the way through."
At the outset, it was unknown how long the 45-year-old would be hospitalized, said Sloan. He said the original plan was to reward student classes that raised the most money, taking them to Greenville on Monday for a meal and allowing them to present the donation to the family at the hospital.
Now that Harris has been released, he said they will instead meet them at home.
"The grand total will not be announced until Monday, when we present it to the family," he said.
He was able to drop a few hints about some of the efforts so far.
Like a substantial churchwide offering collected Wednesday night at Faith Free Will Baptist Church and the winning classes collecting the most money at the school, the fourth and 10th grades.
"What's wonderful about that and most appropriate is that that's the grades that both the boys are in," Sloan said, referring to the Harris' two younger children, sons Troy, a sophomore, and Carson, 10.
The couple also have two older sons, Floydie Jr. and Landon.
Sloan said he had prayed for a good response to the church offering and believed in the generosity of his congregation, but they exceeded his expectations.
"We had hoped for $400 to $500, but it brought in $11,691.92," he said.
A bake sale also proved successful, but even more impressive was a cake sale, said Della Stocks, a home economics teacher at the school.
"I donated two cakes. One lady donated a Hershey cake that went for $1,000. My chocolate cake went for $200 and a decorated birthday cake went for $1,000," she said.
A schoolwide assembly was held Thursday, with everyone encouraged to wear one of the school colors for "Yellow Day."
All told, the event has been a morale boost at Faith, the principal said.
"It has done so much for our student body and our faculty and our children," he said. "I'm excited about everybody being involved and doing what we were able to do.
"It's just been a great, great blessing."