MOULTRIE, Ga. — Sarina May Dial brought toys, stuffed animals, clothes, and everyday supplies to the Hero House Child Advocacy Center on Tuesday. She said she hopes it’ll bring a smile to someone’s face as her father once did for so many others.

 Dial donated 880 items with a goal to help others, and according to Hero House director Regina Dismuke, the donation will surely help the entire operation.

The clothes and supplies, which includes scrubs, will be used back in the Hero House’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examination Center to replace incoming children’s clothes if needed and allow incoming nurses to change into fresh scrubs as they perform examinations.

The toys and stuffed animals will be put into a closet for children to pick from after finishing a forensic interview. For most of the children, this chance to pick a toy is a powerful experience, Dismuke said.

“When a child comes here, it’s normally because of a traumatic experience that they had to go through,” she said. “When they leave with something, it’s a comforting item that they find [and] leave here with.”

It’s something to take home, to have in their hand — to cherish — as they deal with issues they may face behind closed doors. At times, it can be a saving grace.

“People don’t think about it, but these animals are their security,” Dismuke said. “It’s almost like a weight lifted off their shoulders when they leave.”

And that’s what Dial is looking to give to others. Her efforts, under the name “A Rose From An Angel,” is not to become a non-profit, rather to give from her heart.

It’s inspired by her father’s philosophy “Just one rose will do.”

Her father, Billy May, used to bring a freshly cut rose from his garden to each of the patients at a local nursing home, she said. He always said, “Just one rose would do,” in order to bring a smile to someone’s face.

But through May’s actions, the rose became more of a symbol for helping others. When a young girl couldn’t afford glasses, he put her family in touch with the Lion’s Club to get them. 

He catered to and took care of his grand- and great-grandchildren who have special needs, Dial said.

“He always — him and my mom — helped out,” she said. “He was a humble man never wanting recognition from the faith he passed on.”

Helping others, however, led to his death on Oct. 26, 2018, in a brutal murder.

“My daddy lost his life doing what he was called to do and that was helping others,” Dial said. “It was and still is a struggle, but I just get up and this has helped me get back my faith.”

 Dial said she had a tough time reconciling her father’s death with her faith, even saying it almost pushed her over the edge. Helping others, like her father, brought her back.

She said her father was of Christian faith and helped others out the kindness in his heart and the biblical admonition to honor thy father. Taking a tip from him, Dial is honoring her father through her generosity.

“I just want to keep his memory alive and this is going to do that for me,” she said.

Dial is already preparing for another donation, this time to the Serenity House. She also makes bags for homeless people which includes necessities like toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, water, etc. — things they could use.

“My kids at one time were homeless so that kind of hit home for me,” she said. “My daddy was a full believer that you don’t walk away, you help.”

Her goal right now is to also find some families by Christmas time who don’t normally get to enjoy the holiday, and give them that luxury.

“Whatever I can do — I mean it’s not a lot — but it’s going to put a smile on a kid’s face,” she said.