Florida woman selling t-shirts to benefit Middle TN tornado victims
COLUMBIA, Tenn. (WKRN) — Becky Kimmelmann was full of fear back on May 8 when she saw that a tornado touched down near her family members in Maury County.
Luckily, her loved ones were safe, but she was heartbroken to see the destruction the storms left behind in Giles and Maury Counties – both places she used to call home.
Kimmelmann said it’s the panicked feeling people get from tornadoes that she, unfortunately, knows all too well.
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On Jan. 9, an EF-2 twister came through her neighborhood in Marianna, FL. It badly damaged her home and forced her into temporary housing.
“My house started cracking and snapping and popping,” Kimmelmann recalled. “It was probably one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through in my entire life.”
As she navigates the recovery process herself, Kimmelmann still found herself wanting to give back to storm victims in the Volunteer State.
“I know what these folks are going through, and it’s hard and it’s tough,” Kimmelmann said. “Your house is a mess, and it’s not something that you did, and it’s not something you asked for, it just happens. If I can’t be there to help pick up the pieces literally, I’d like to offer my assistance at least financially.”
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Kimmelmann said she’s been inspired by the people who’ve rallied around her and wants to continue to pay it forward.
“My company helped me by paying my deductible on my home, and I’m just so appreciative, I want to be able to give back too,” Kimmelmann said.
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When the tornadoes came through Middle Tennessee in December 2023, she created and sold T-shirts through her company, Andi B’s Boutique, to raise money for disaster relief for those victims. Five months later, she’s doing the same for Maury and Giles Counties. She said 100% of her profits from those sales are going directly toward helping those communities rebuild.
At least 245 Maury County homes damaged during severe storms
“Working through my T-shirt business, I know this is a way that I can give back,” Kimmelmann said. “I know it’s not a whole lot, but it’s at least something that I can do, and if it helps one person then I know I’ve done something right.”
Kimmelmann said the T-shirts design included the words “There is no place like home’ for a specific reason.
“We wanted something that reflected how these communities feel about their area and how they all come together and band together like a family to take care of each other,” Kimmelmann said.
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The T-shirts Kimmelmann sold to benefit the December 2023 Middle Tennessee tornado victims raised over $500. She said she’s hoping to raise even more this time around.
If you would like to order a T-shirt benefitting recovery efforts in Maury and Giles Counties, click here.
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