Moose Lodge raises money for Colquitt County family

Kasmira Smith, The Moultrie Observer, Ga.
·2 min read

Dec. 16—MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Moose Lodge, Moultrie Chapter #1158, recently hosted a fundraiser to assist one Colquitt County couple, who have each served several years in local law enforcement, with their newborn child.

Ronald Jordan, a lieutenant over the Colquitt County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division, and his wife Casea, a deputy sheriff, welcomed their son, Hudson Jordan, six weeks premature on July 21 at Colquitt Regional Medical Center.

Hudson was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany after a quick discovery that there was an issue with his heart. He was then transferred to the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, where he underwent treatment.

Shortly after his birth, the CCSO, Hero House (a Colquitt County child advocacy center) and the Colquitt County Division of Family & Children Services started a GoFundMe account to help ease the financial strain for the family.

"It's very humbling at the amount of support that we have received from our friends, family, and the community. The fact that so many complete strangers from our area have helped us means everything to our family," Jordan said by phone Friday afternoon.

The proceeds helped the Jordans maintain two separate households: their home in Colquitt County and at CHOA with Hudson. The couple has two other children who are students within the Colquitt County School District.

Robert Jolly, a retiree from the Colquitt County Sheriff's Office and a Moose Lodge member, coordinated a poker tournament along with the president of Moose Lodge 1158, Stephan Payne, to raise funds for the Jordan family, according Susan Payne, the spokesperson for the Moose Lodge.

"The Moultrie Moose Lodge is a family fraternity..., and we do community service work every month. We chose a good cause to do and Mr. Jordan just happened to be the one that we chose to do that month," Payne said in a phone interview on Friday.

The tournament held on Saturday, Nov. 12, had a major turnout with participants from Moultrie, Albany and even Florida.

"We would just like to sincerely say thank you to everyone, not just for the fundraiser but for all of the prayers that have been made for Hudson," Jordan said. "Hudson is doing really really well. He's growing like a normal baby and doing all of the baby things. He's still got some appointments with some really great doctors in Atlanta as they continue to monitor his condition and make sure he continues to grow and thrive."