Four years ago today, Hurricane Ian made landfall and changed Charlotte County forever. At least 200 homes were destroyed, and Englewood’s Mobile Gardens was among the hardest-hit neighborhoods. Drive through today and you’ll still spot empty lots and for-sale signs. Recovery here has been slow, and residents will tell you so.
But something remarkable is happening inside the community center, the same building where more than a dozen neighbors sheltered during the storm. Every week, residents gather to cut, iron, and stitch handmade pillowcases for Ryan’s Case for Smiles, which delivers them to children battling cancer and other severe illnesses. Their goal is 500 pillowcases, and they’re getting there one stitch at a time.
Resident Debbie Crawford knows the cost of that week better than most. Ian took her home. She moved into a new one last December, then lost her husband Randy just 30 days later. She still shows up to sew. “You just can’t sit and dwell on it,” she says. “You’ve got to get up and just keep going.” That’s Mobile Gardens in a sentence.
Do you know someone in Charlotte County still recovering from Ian? Tell us their story in the comments.
