Student-funded therapy dog comforts victims of deadly Michigan tornado: "He's just done a wonderful job"

Students in Union City, Michigan, are back in the classroom for the first time since Friday's deadly tornado.

Staff says they're trying to bring a sense of normalcy to the kids who just experienced one of the most devastating natural disasters to hit the community.

CBS News Detroit went there to learn about one of their newest employees, who the school says couldn't have started at a more important time.

Last Monday was Duke the therapy dog's first week on the job at Union City High School. Little did the school know he'd be helping the students cope with one of the most traumatic moments in their lives one week later. He's been comforting students, homeowners and first responders.

"From Friday when this first happened through now, he's been there almost 24 hours a day," said Union City Community Schools counselor Stacy Guertler. "His role is just to be there as just a source of comfort and to provide some calm and some serenity for a chaotic situation."

Guertler says students raised $7,500 to bring Duke to the school district long before they could predict the devastation he's helping people heal from now.

"We started in December. He has met victims and families, and he's just done a wonderful job of helping comfort and spend time with them when they come to the school for support," she said.

Even as debris piles up and ashes fall from the sky in one of the community's hardest hit areas.

"He's already earned his keep and then some. He's doing a very good job of maintaining his composure when there's so much chaos going on around him," Guertler said.

Back at the school district, they're no longer accepting household supplies, having reached their capacity. Now it's about donations that can help residents rebuild their lives.

"We're really looking more now toward building materials, sheets of OSB, roofing nails, and then we're coordinating with the lumber yard to get those delivered to the locations where they need to go," said Union City High School principal Amber Case.

Case says the best way people can help is through monetary donations. Checks can be issued to Union City Community Schools by including "Tornado Relief" in the memo line. People can mail them to the high school located at 430 Saint Joseph St., Union City, Michigan, 49094.