Mary Jones found herself living a nightmare one fall morning. As her home filled with fire and smoke, she knew she had to act quickly to save her children.

Jones was forced to break her bedroom window with her elbow and throw four of her five children out to safety. A firefighter rescued her youngest child, a 1-month-old baby.

“It was scary because the whole thing, it was smoky, you couldn’t see nothing, and we was coughing,” said 8-year-old Christopher Knight.

Picking up the Pieces
“I thought I was going to be in this by myself,” said Jones.

Thanks to the work and dedication of our partners, she was not. After learning about the fire, Dignity U Wear called on Greg Kahrs, a local social worker and champion of children in the school system.

Greg hit the road, driving around the neighborhood in search of where the fire had been.

When he found the house, Jones’ brother was sifting through the damage in search of things to salvage. He led Greg to the hotel where Jones was staying with her five children.

Delivering Dignity
Greg worked with the Jones family to assess their clothing needs. He then worked with Dignity to provide brand new clothing for the family – delivering dignity at the right time, to a family who needed it most.

Dignity Partners
At Dignity U Wear, we are committed to building meaningful relationships with partners in the community.

Greg Kahrs is one of the many partners we are honored to work with.

“The partnership between Duval County Schools and Dignity U Wear is unlike any other in the Jacksonville area,” says Greg. “I have had several opportunities to witness the joy on a student’s face when they are presented with brand new clothing that they can wear to school. As a social worker it is very rewarding to be able to provide a student with clothing items as this is something they can see, feel and touch. To help a student improve their self-worth is priceless!”

Social workers like Greg are true heroes in our community. It is an honor and our privilege to offer our resources in support of their work.

Filed under: General by Dignity U Wear