DECATUR, Ga. — A Decatur dad is refusing to let tough times tear his family apart.
Cory Coleman is getting national attention after he started sleeping on the streets to make sure his wife and daughters could be together. But he’s not alone.
For the past month, Coleman and the family’s pet bunny, Goldie, have slept on park benches and MARTAs. The family of seven has always been together until this past December when Coleman lost his job – and the family lost their apartment.
"It was heartbreaking. It still is," said Coleman’s wife, Shonvenelle Leshore.
Their young daughters, Shonyla, Shonayah, Shonniyah and Nashaya are all staying with her at a homeless shelter now. When the family moved into the shelter, Goldie couldn't come inside.
Although Goldie wasn’t allowed inside, Coleman said he wasn’t going to let her go.
"I was not going to let her get away that easy, not this rabbit," said Coleman.
So, Coleman and Goldie started sleeping outside. When the temperatures dropped below freezing, he tried to take her to a warming shelter.
Gregory White, the director of the Decatur Recreation Center, remembers the first time he met Goldie.
"I said, 'Is that a rabbit?'" White said. "(I said) 'Cory, I don't think the rabbit can go to the warming center.'"
Then he saw Coleman's dedication.
"I said, 'it's cold, you get on the van I got the rabbit!'" White said. "So I took the rabbit home."
White started researching bunny rescues to find Goldie a place to stay and found the Georgia Rabbit House Society.
Jennifer McGee, the director of operations for the Georgia House Rabbit Society, was willing to take care of the beloved bunny.
"They were going through extraordinary circumstances to keep their family together - and part of their family was a pet rabbit," McGee said.
She said Goldie settled right in at the rescue.
"I knew from the moment I met her that she was something special and that's because of all the love this family has put into her," McGee said.
They're taking care of Goldie until the Colemans can get back on their feet - but they wanted to help the family, too. Now, the Georgia Rabbit House Society is raising money to help the family get housing and find Coleman accessible work.
Until then, Goldie and the girls are all safe -- and that's what matters most to Coleman.
"A father will go to these lengths to keep his family together," Coleman said. "Animals are a part of that family."
Anyone who'd like to contribute to the fundraiser can do so by clicking the link here.