More parents and grandparents are roaming the hallways in Wilson County, acting as “an extra set of eyes.” It’s called The Hallway Hero Project. It’s an idea David Purifoy created with his son-in-law after The Covenant School shooting.
WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — More parents and grandparents are roaming the hallways in Wilson County acting as “an extra set of eyes.” It’s called The Hallway Hero Project.
“We are an extra set of safety. We are not security. Let’s be real clear we are not carrying weapons,” David Purifoy, Co-founder of The Hallway Hero Project said.
It’s an idea that Purifoy created with his son-in-law after The Covenant School shooting.
“I’m not ready to retire, I’m ready to put my heart back into the community,” Purifoy said.
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Originally the project was an incentive to get more men to volunteer in the schools. The project started at West Elementary and now has expanded to a second elementary school with 25 to 30 volunteers, both men and women.
During the day, heroes will help in the lunchroom but also double check that all doors are locked.
“I get about 17 or 18,000 steps a day, we walk the halls, check the latches, walk the outside of the schools,” said Brent Roberts, volunteer with The Hallway Hero Project.
On Friday, Gnash stopped by as the Predators and Hunt Brothers Pizza said thank you to teachers. The Predators came on board as a sponsor.
“Gnash, thanks for being our hero today. We are going to walk through the halls and show you what we do,” Purifoy said.
Purifoy said this is just the beginning as the nonprofit hopes to expand into all Wilson County schools. “Wilson County has approved us for all schools so it’s just a matter of administration.”
He said, while it gives the community peace of mind, it’s also a way to volunteer in your kid or grandchild’s school. “Every time I go to school I have two granddaughters over at West and they have to fist bump me and hug me and scream and yell!”
The nonprofit would like to send a special thank you to the Predators and Manheim for coming on board. If you would like to learn more about the nonprofit or get involved click here.