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Woman Raises Money To Buy Air Conditioners For Elderly

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) -  After a week of temperatures reaching punishing levels, a North Texas woman decided to do something about it.

A donation drive to buy air conditioners for the elderly got a big boost Saturday, and that's brought relief to some of those most in need.

It all started when Nikki Green posted a gofundme page asking for help raising money to buy air conditioners for older people who can be particularly vulnerable to the heat. Green says she thought she might raise enough to buy two or three units to donate, but she couldn't believe it when she had more than a thousand dollars offered within 24 hours.

She told the nonprofit, The Senior Source, she thought she had enough to buy about ten units from Home Depot. Then she decided to ask her boss if their flooring company had any kind of discount. When her boss found out what she was doing, he offered to match whatever she bought. That's when she says a Home Depot manager offered to drop the price, and at that point she was able to buy 30 units altogether.

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"I've lived in Dallas all my life, and every summer I hear on the news somebody dies of a heat stroke. It's really dangerous. These temperatures are crazy," Green said.

Fans have been the only relief for 76-year-old Joyce Nichols during the hottest days of the summer, and fans can only do so much.

"I got four fans, and I just put them up and let them go around and around and around, but it's just hot air," Nichols said.

Nichols has only spent a few hours out of the day at her own home lately, and if she stays inside too long it becomes very uncomfortable.

"I feel kind of dizzy like I'm going to fall, and when I try to get up, like I go back," Nichols said.

That's why one of the first donated air conditioners went to Nichols.

"I was so happy that I was going to get some air, and I won't have to go away from home," Nichols said.

The nonprofit working with Green has identified people over 60 years old who are most in need of receiving the units, and they will continue to distribute them over the next few days.

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