DeKalb police are joining forces to help one of their own. The mother of Officer Rodney West passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack two days before Thanksgiving, leaving him as guardian for his teen siblings.
Rodney's 17-year-old sister, Jessica, and her twin, Jordan, are planning to move from Charleston to Rodney's home in Stockbridge.
"It's a whole life change for me. The biggest challenge will probably be just the daily struggles as far as financial means," said West.
The officer wants to keep his family together and his co-workers want to help. Rodney's supervisor, Sgt. Pamela Patterson, told a Chili's restaurant owner about his situation after the owner asked if she knew of a family that needed help at Christmas. Patterson told the owner about West's story.
A pancake breakfast is planned from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m. on Wednesday at the Chili's at Stonecrest Mall. A ticket costs $5, and the money will go towards giving Rodney's brother and sister a memorable Christmas.
"I actually just found out a couple of hours ago, and I was speechless," said West. "Just talking to a friend about how I was going to make things happen for Christmas, and I had no answer to it."
A fund has also been set up at Wells Fargo to help Officer West's family under the name of his deceased mother, Joyce West.
Sunday, May 19 2013 2:00 PM EDT2013-05-19 18:00:39 GMT
President Barack Obama addressed a crowd of soggy graduates and guests at Morehouse College's spring commencement ceremony on Sunday.
President Barack Obama addressed a crowd of soggy graduates and guests at Morehouse College's spring commencement ceremony on Sunday, telling graduates to take the power of their example-- as black men graduating from college-- and use it to improve people's lives.
Sunday, May 19 2013 1:53 PM EDT2013-05-19 17:53:40 GMT
President Barack Obama addressed graduates at Morehouse College's commencement ceremony in Atlanta on Sunday.
President Barack Obama addressed graduates at Morehouse College's commencement ceremony in Atlanta on Sunday, marking the first time a sitting president has made a commencement address in Georgia since 1938. See photos from his visit to Atlanta here!
Saturday, May 18 2013 10:09 PM EDT2013-05-19 02:09:05 GMT
They say you can't win if you don't play, and thousands of people are. The jackpot for Saturday night's Powerball drawing is an estimated $600 million, giving many a bad case of lottery fever.
They say you can't win if you don't play, and thousands of people are. The jackpot for Saturday night's Powerball drawing is an estimated $600 million, giving many a bad case of lottery fever.
Officer Rodney West is seeking to keep his family together.
