Help Beat the Heat: Fan Donation Project Underway

"Famously Hot."

It's a catchy marketing slogan for our area. But cutesy irony aside, the Midlands is no place to be living in summer if you don't have ready access to air-conditioning or some other way to beat the heat.

It hasn't gotten truly hot yet here in the Midlands. But very soon, that will change. The onset of summer may signal the end of school and the beginning of a season of fun for most, but for many other people it's simply a season of misery as they deal with the area's often unrelenting heat and humidity. And for a portion of those people, especially the elderly and those who are ill, summer can even be deadly.

But there is a simple way you can help those in need.

The West Columbia Police Department has kicked off the 2012 “Fan the Heat” project for citizens of the city.  The project, which began several years ago, is responsible for providing hundreds of fans to those in need, the department said. 

"This initiative is vital to our community," Chief Dennis Tyndall said.  "There are so many people who are vulnerable to the oppressive heat that we deal with in this area. We try very hard to help those who are homebound to make their lives a little more comfortable as summer approaches, especially our elderly and those with medical conditions." 

It's cool to give. If you would like to donate a fan, or if you need a fan, contact Lt. John Norman at (803) 936-6280.