SHC, you are awesome!
I want to add in a new "route" to "adopting a school". www.PTA.org
has an entire program set up for a PTA to adopt another PTA that has been affected by the hurricanes. It appears you have to be a PTA to participate, but I could be wrong (won't be the 1st time, definitely not the last!) Worth checking out if there are still people & schools looking for a way to help. They STILL need alot of help.
That is the nicest idea to help each classroom. I am constantly amazed at how generously everyone has responded.
As some of you may know, I am in north Louisiana, and our city is housing many, many evacuees. I have many friends and neighbors who still have evacuees with them. There are New Orleans children in every school in town and on all of our soccer and football teams. It's just beyond belief. I was visiting with a New Orleans native today who is an attorney and he said his home and office were OK but that the city is like a ghost town--no gas or stores or even people. It's hard to even grasp. Tonight, I spent time forwarding a resume of an evacuee to all the lawyers I know, trying to help a gal find a job. Our Sunday School class has sort of "adopted" this family.
I'm also using my old PTO skills to help out at the local shelter, which is still housing about 800 people (it exploded again when Hurricane Rita hit). I am now publishing a daily Shelter Newsletter letting evacuees know things that are changing such as new FEMA benefits, medical clinic hours, city/parish re-population plans, activities for children, etc. I'm excited because now I see the residents stop and read it. It is extremely rewarding. One elderly gentleman that I helped yesterday stopped and shook my hand, he was so appreciative. The people have been very polite and all have thanked us profusely. One elderly lady said "no one can say we haven't been treated well".
Didn't mean to ramble--just wanted to thank all of you that are helping out. If anyone is still collecting supplies or is looking for a place to send supplies, they have consolidated all supplies to one central warehouse in our city--see summergrove.org for an address or more info.
That's a great idea. In fact, anyone interested in helping a school that has taken in hurricane victims, can contact The Texas state chapter of the PTA by calling (512) 476-6769 or 1 (800)talkpta. Craig Tunget is the director and he'll find a school in need of help for you. Texas PTA estimates that Texas public schools will absorb approx. 10,000 students displaced by the two hurricanes. That's alot of kids that need alot of things!
I don't know how to contact other state PTA chapters, but I'm sure a little research will yeild results. We are teaming up with Chennelview school district in southern Texas, but there are hundreds of other schools that need help.
With winter coming and so many families that have come to Colorado, I was thinking about calling the school district these new families are in and asking how our school can help. My other thought was to contact a radio station that has already purchased baby furnature to see what these families need most.
Colorado doesn't get real cold but if you are not used to snow...I just want them to be prepaired!
I thought since the last thread on this subject became so long (and off the true subject in some places) I would start part II. For those schools looking to help other schools that absorbed some of the evacuees, here is one way: www.adoptaclassroom.com/go.cfm?page=katrina/index.cfm
It's a $500 donation (schools can be creative in how they raise this) and then the classroom it's given to will give updates via email on what they did with the money. The teacher can also let PTO/PTA's know what specifics they need that weren't covered by the $500, like school supplies or personal items for the kids. I'm bringing this idea to our parents at Monday's meeting. Hope others will do the same
