Quita Williams (with clipboards) works with volunteers at Lowndes Middle School to distribute 500 food boxes to Lowndes County School families. 

While many dealt with power outages after Hurricane Idalia, long-time Girls on the Run volunteer coach Chiquita "Quita" Williams did not let lack of electricity stop her from helping others.

What started as an effort to get supplies to her Wood Valley neighborhood led Quita to serve all of Lowndes County on Saturday and Sunday after Hurricane Idalia hit Valdosta and knocked power out of many neighborhoods, including Quita's.

Quita recruited volunteers through her network of Lowndes County Schools, workout buddies and Girls on the Run contacts. More than anything, she posted on Facebook to make sure those who needed help and supplies knew they could come to the Valdosta Cinema and pick up a shovel, a hot meal and an American Red Cross bucket. 

"What started out as a neighbor asking me if I would be the point of contact for our neighborhood to get supplies has turned into me being THE point of contact for the entire mid-Valdosta area for the American Red Cross. I’ve taken the challenge to help out the community. Although we are without power, we have everything else to survive the next few days. Some people I met today giving out supplies lost their entire home. So, I have no complaints," said Williams in a Facebook post on September 2.

She proceeded to host one of the largest American Red Cross supply distributions the next day, where United States Senators Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock came out to show support to Lowndes County citizens.

Quita serves as a Lowndes Middle School guidance counselor and a Girls on the Run Coach. When students returned to school on Wednesday September 6, Quita still did not have power at her own home. However, she began working with school officials and partnered with Second Harvest to make sure her students and all Lowndes County School students had food in their pantry. Volunteers packed 500 child-friendly food boxes and handed them out to Lowndes County School families on September 9. 

Quita exemplifies the core values of Girls on the Run, by standing up for others and finding strength in our connectedness. Girls on the Run South Georgia is proud to call her one of our Superstar Coaches.    

Girls on the Run South Georgia Fall 2023 season registration is currently open and actively recruiting girls in grades 3rd-8th grade to participate at 22 schools across South Georgia. Learn more here:

www.girlsontherunsouthgeorgia.org