Hundreds of people brought backpacks instead of flowers to a Georgia woman’s funeral. Wait until you hear why!
A teacher’s final request is inspiring people across the world.
That teacher is Tammy Waddell, she served the children and community of Forsyth County, Georgia, for thirty years as a paraprofessional and elementary teacher.
She passed away earlier this month after battling cancer. She was only 58.
Instead of flowers, the elementary school teacher’s friends, family, and fellow teachers brought backpacks filled with school supplies for students in need.
A group called the Kids in Need Foundation says more than 16 million kids live in extreme poverty in the U.S. and arrive on the first day of school without the supplies they need to learn.
Others say the annual cost of books, binders, and other school supplies is well over 300 dollars.
Dr. Brad Johnson posted a photo on his Twitter account of the church where Tammy’s funeral was held.
The shot is from the back of the church looking down the aisle toward the pulpit. At the end of every row of pews were backpacks filled with school supplies.
Dr. Johnson captioned the picture this way — “My cousin’s final request at her funeral was backpacks full of supplies for needy students instead of flowers. A teacher to the end.”
Nearly 100 teachers served as honorary pallbearers, carrying the backpacks out of the chapel and back to their schools.
Johnson said “It was heart-warming,”