Derek Gamble installs a window A/C unit in Sumter, South Carolina as part of Operation Summer Salvation.
Derek Gamble sets up a window A/C unit before placing it in a window frame.
The summer heat can be intense, especially for those without air conditioning, but South Carolina resident Derek Gamble is trying to help those who cannot protect themselves from the rising temperatures.
Gamble is the founder and director of the non-profit organization Operation Summer Salvation. The organization aims to bring comfort and protection to the elderly and disabled in South Carolina by installing window air conditioning units.
“So far we have [installed window units in] six counties, but we’re actually using the [Lieutenant Governor’s] Council on Aging to try and cover all 46,” Gamble says. “That’s why the 2018 goal is 500 air conditioners, so at least a minimum of 10 units per county.”
Though his goal of 500 air conditioning units is a long ways away, Gamble says the help it provides is worth the time and energy.
“Most of the time [the recipients are] pretty grateful because it’s very, very hot in South Carolina, and we’re starting to see heat indexes over 100. We’re installing room units. We’re not doing the whole house, but they’re able to at least go into one room and get cool, so that is a form of salvation,” Gamble says.
Since Gamble founded the organization in 2016, he has installed 157 air conditioning units, and he hopes to continue to give back.
“Well it is a very good feeling … It feels good to give in all aspects,” he says.
The organization is accepting donations through the Summer Salvation GoFundMe page, and Gamble says people are welcome to message the “Air Conditioners For The Elderly and Disabled of South Carolina” Facebook page for more information.
