JSU Alum Creates T-Shirts For Jacksonville Fundraising Effort

JACKSONVILLE, AL - Graphic designer Brett DeBoer graduated from Jacksonville State University in 2015, so seeing the severe damage the city of Jacksonville and the JSU campus sustained after a tornado ripped through the community Monday hit him close to home. And DeBoer has decided to do something about it. He created a t-shirt design in honor of the strength of the JSU community hit so hard by the storm damage, and is using the proceeds from sales of the shirts to go toward relief efforts for Jacksonville.

"JSU is near and dear to my heart because that is where I graduated from in December of 2015," DeBoer said. "I spent around three years there. I personally was not affected by the storm damage, but the devastation to the JSU campus is great. Just with going to JSU and being alumnus, it hurts seeing the campus damaged and students displaced and having no where to go."

A NWS report said the damage in Jacksonville was consistent with an EF-2 tornado of 120-130 mph winds. They believe the tornado may have strated in Southside and tracked approximately 30 miles into Georgia.

Among the structures severely damaged on the JSU campus were two dorms, as well as two apartment complexes where students live. Thousands of residents in the city of Jacksonville were left without power after the storm swept through the city. "I just wanted to help in any way I can because there are a lot of hurting people right now with no where to go," DeBoer said. "The community of Jacksonville has come together and stayed strong and there has been such an outpouring of help in Jacksonville and the surrounding areas and this state's response to the disaster."

DeBoer said he was moved by how swiftly the people in the community lined up to help each other after the storms were over, and that motivated him to step up as well. "This community is a tight knit group and JSU is known as 'The Friendliest Campus in the South' for a reason," he said. "A gamecock is one of the only animals that will keeping fighting till the death, it is a strong creature and JSU and Jacksonville is a strong group of people who will stand strong together, and we will rebuild even stronger than we were before and grow closer than before. There has been more relief effort in the past two days than anyone probably imagined. There is a sense of hope for a better tomorrow. It will be a long recovery process, but Jacksonville will overcome this disaster."

The idea to make shirts as a fundraiser blossomed when DeBoer posted the idea to social media to gauge response. "I posted about input on the shirts before actually starting and I had around 45 comments saying that they would buy the shirts," he said. "I am taking orders and money before ordering the shirts and making them. Right now I have around 20 orders already for the shirts."

The shirts are $20, and are a 52 percent cotton, 48 percent polyester blend Bella Canvas shirt with a heather red and a heather grey option. Shirts can be purchased at DeBoer's website.

Image courtesy of Brett DeBoer