Subscribe-Free!    Advertise    Calendar    Letters     Obituaries   

“Love in a Box” Reaches School Children in Louisiana

by Joan R. Simon

(March 16, 2006) Love in a Box 2006, a program at Central, Murray and Mamaroneck Avenue elementary schools, reached its culmination on Feb. 13 th when organizers Cari O’Leary and Linda Ryan arrived at the Louisiana schools where the 1,177 “gorgeous gifts of kindness” were opened by children displaced by Hurricanes Katrina (see: “Love in a Box” Travels from Larchmont to Louisiana). For many weeks, Mamaroneck elementary students had been decorating and filling these special boxes with useful supplies, as part of “Random Acts of Kindness Week,” and Collins Brothers of Larchmont transported the boxes to Louisiana.

love love

The highlight of the trip came when Ms. Ryan and Ms. O’Leary were able to watch as the boxes were distributed at the schools outside of New Orleans. The first stop was Abney Elementary in Slidell, located on the eastern side of Lake Pontchartrain. “As the boxes were opened, we observed smiles,” Ms. O’Leary said. There were “shouts of ‘this is what I always wanted!,’ ‘did Santa come?’ and ‘hey, there’s a letter in mine – and a picture!!’” Ms. Ryan added, “There were smiles, laughter and an abundance of bittersweet tears. We are not sure who did more of the crying – probably us!”

love

The women reported that the Abney school had been “under water” and repairs are still ongoing. Many of the classes are being conducted in trailers and over half of the faculty at Abney is also living in trailers or with friends and relatives. The elementary school, with 300 students, is sharing its facility with the middle school, which was taken over by the high school after it was destroyed in the hurricane. Streets are lined with debris and families are living in their front yards while attempting to make repairs to their damaged homes.

love love

Ms. Ryan and Ms. O’Leary described their second stop, Scotlandville Elementary School near the Baton Rouge airport, as a rundown facility re-opened specifically to accommodate the displaced children living in the area. It has less than adequate resources, with students and teachers leaving on a weekly basis to return to New Orleans. As expected, many of the children are haunted by memories of the hurricane aftermath and bear psychological scarring from their experiences. The principal relayed several heartbreaking stories, including one about a young boy who found the air mattress his father had been floating on – punctured from below. The boy knows his father did not swim and believes that he has drowned. Another 8-year-old told of seeing a playmate floating face down in the water. All of the children ask, “When can I go home to my own bed?”

The two women also toured New Orleans during their visit and were overwhelmed by what they saw there. “We witnessed sheer ‘ghost towns’ – empty shells of homes without people, pets, electricity or grass. There was garbage strewn about and everything appeared gray in color. Even the trees were dying,” they recounted.

Ms. O’Leary and Ms. Ryan are sharing their Louisiana experience with the Mamaroneck elementary schools involved. They plan to present slide shows for groups of students, faculty and parents at the schools. “The project really did bring smiles to the faces of the children,” they said.

 

return to front page Front Page

printer-friendly version Print This Page
send to a friend Email this page



Click for Larchmont, New York Forecast
Today's Events: click on event for details

Recent Articles

Principals Detail Progress; Student Fights Gatekeeping

School Vote: Tues. May 20

More Articles




VOL Honors Centenarian, Hears From Children's Library

Student Group Lobbies Congresswoman Lowey

Food Pantry "Re-Opens" After The Flood

Author Probes How TV Became Baby's Best Friend

Central School Jumps!

Brownies Bring Green to Conservation Area

Kid Fest Celebrates Redo of Children's Library June 1

CAREER DOCTOR:
Should I Go Into Adoption Law?


LETTERS:
-Open Advanced Courses to More Students

-School Budget Math Raises Questions


OBITUARIES
-Hennessy
-D'Ambrosio
-Palumbo
-Marshall
-Halley


Mam'k Schools & Teachers Reach Tentative Accord

TOM Hires Full-Time Comptroller
Former Supervisor Vandernoot Reaches 100

Blight Resistant Chestnut Grows in Larchmont

LMC-TV To Honor LWV at Award Night, May 29

OP-ED: MORE State Aid for Mam'k Schools

BOOK REVIEW:
Three Cups Of Tea

Mayor Feld Weighs State Senate Run

VOL Final Tax Rate Up to 4.97%

Barish Replaces Ryan as School Board Candidate

Lawn Out, Rain Garden In for Mam'k Mayor


TECH TALK:Composting Is Easiest Way to Recycle

Sharehouse Launches "Mattresses for Moms"

Girl Scouts Share Spirit & Books

SEPTA Awards Grants For Mam'k Schools

MSF Gala on May 17 Begins Now Online
Mam'k Police Nab Man For Sex With Youth

Last Minute State Aid Will Cut School Taxes

Restaurant Owner Arrested for Assault

Latimer Gets $1.2M For Local Flood Mitigation

Hommocks To Improve Writing Curriculum

TOM Approves Temp Parking In Memorial Park

What's Been Done Since Last Year's Floods?

Rain Garden Takes Root During Green Week

MHS Senior Scores 100th Lax Career Goal

FBLA Takes Gold at State Competition

Growing Interest in Softball Fuels Changes

United Way Honors Local Flood Effort

MHS Seniors are "Seussically" Silly: Photos

LHS House Tour: Creative Artists Lived Here

TEEN HEALTH: Prom, Intercourse, of Course?

BIRTH: Audrey & Ozzy Andrews

Boy Identified as Making HMX Bomb Threats

VOL To Hike Taxes 4.79%; Hires Treasurer Full-Time

Schools Awards Tenure to 28, Adopt Budget

Selection Committee Picks 2 for School Board

Tiger Softball Wins On New Home Field

New Summer Choice: TOM Teen Escape

WJCS Gala Honors Larchmont's Rob Stavis

FOOD Q&A WITH LAUREN: Peanut Butter Muffins

Flint Field Now Set to Open in May

Myrtle Parking Deck Construction Starts in June

Schools Delay Capital Bond Vote to the Fall

Munis to Get 3% Raise in NY State Aid

Read-A-Thon To Support Redo at Children's Library

School Budget Drops to $116.9M & 5.75% Tax Hike

Eye on Sports: Squirts at the Garden

TRAVEL: Hamburg's New Immigration Museum

TMFD Spans 100 Years

Where is the Class of 2007?

Larchmont Calendar of Photos

Tax Calculator: Where Do My Property Taxes Go?

Larchmont Scenes for Desktop Screens
Front Page   |   Terms of Service   |   Contact Us   |  About Us   |   Guiding Principles  

LARCHMONTGAZETTE.COM - Copyright © 2002-2008 Larchmont Gazette LLC- All Rights Reserved