We’re giving a huge thank you for the selfless acts this week to Peachtree Corner, Ga.’s Graham Lutz who exemplifies the go-anywhere, community-focused spirit that many Jeep® owners possess. This week, in the ice and snow conditions that virtually shut down metro Atlanta, Lutz knew he and his 2001 Jeep Wrangler TJ Sport couldn’t sit around and do nothing while neighbors needed help.
“I have this big Jeep that can pretty much go anywhere I want it to, and I would feel pretty silly sitting at home doing nothing when I have the ability to help,” he told us.
A business owner and trainer, Lutz was home around 2 p.m. Tuesday, following a lunch meeting, and decided to “take it easy the rest of the day as it was snowing.”
However, as the day went on, Lutz heard of friends and many others being stuck on the roadways. He, like many others, joined the Snowed Out Atlanta Facebook Group*, and realized he needed to do something to help. (*It looks like the group has since been split by regions.)
“I left the house around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday and just started driving around. I immediately came upon a man stranded at the bottom of a valley desperately trying to get home to his elderly dog who had been locked up for close to 18 hours.
“The night progressed with more rides home and pushed/pulled cars. I went home at 4 a.m. to get a short nap before going again on Wednesday,” he wrote to us.
When Lutz awoke Wednesday, he and his wife, Heather, started planning what to do next. They set up a Fundly.com account and raised about $800. With the money, Graham filled his Jeep Wrangler with water, fruit, crackers, a gas can, blankets and sweatshirts.
“Wednesday was spent passing those out to people who had been stranded for close to 24 hours, jumping dead batteries, filling gas tanks and pulling cars out of ditches and off ice onto the dry parts of the road.
“I would estimate that I helped between 30-40 people, not including the people who I just handed food or water to.”
One of the vehicles he came upon Wednesday was a school bus “with 8 or 10 cold and scared kids on board. I couldn’t do much for them, so I left them with waters and a bag of fun-size Twix bars! That bus was a party as I was driving away!”
As we said above, Graham exemplifies the spirit that lies within many Jeep owners, as well as owners of other Chrysler Group vehicles. If you know of someone who went above and beyond during the tough weather conditions many of us have faced this season, please feel give them a shout-out in the comments, or on the Chrysler Group Facebook Page.
Above:
Pictured is Graham’s Jeep Wrangler Sport, after helping out fellow Atlanta-area residents. He bought the Jeep Wrangler last summer.
