As part of a Make a Difference Day project, the students collected supplies and sent them south towards the Gulf Coast.
The school, a former Make A Difference Day winner in USA Weekend, found a willing helper in Margaret McGlown.
McGlown, a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, that had been a previous winner of the award and was contacted by the magazine.
"What I loved about it was that children were helping children," she said. "I feel happy that the sorority was able to serve in this capacity."
McGlown said she received some 50 shoe boxes and 400 folders full of rulers, notebooks, etc.
"The students made their own individual boxes and filled them with school supplies and had notes addressed to their Mississippi friends," she said. "There were a lot of personal things."
McGlown said she is currently distributing the items to students displaced locally and will send the remainder to the coast.
"These students want the same school supplies everybody else has," she said. "It's a good way to help boost self-esteem because they are not set apart."
McGlown said she has already distributed items to some 40 students throughout Quitman, Coahoma, Tallahatchie and Tunica counties.
Marjorie Brown, a second grade teacher at R.H. Bearden Elementary School in Tallahatchie County, said the supplies help motivate the displaced students.
"It gives them encouragement and lets them know that we do care," she said. "They feel accepted with love and care. They have adapted pretty well."
Sue Shafer, manager of education services for the Tribune Chronicle and coordinator for community events, was contacted by the school.
"The students at Alden use the Newspapers in the Education program and saw the devastation caused in Mississippi and Louisiana," she said. "They were really touched seeing those children in the newspaper and electronic media.
"They wanted to do something to help and their teacher was already active in 'Make A Difference Day,'" Shafer said. "The students wanted to get school supplies together and make sure they got to where they were needed."
Shafer said she contacted Pam Brown at USA Weekend, who in turn got her in touch with McGlown.
"The students put together pencil boxes and talked about how it would feel to lose everything," she said. "These children come from difficult situation themselves and reached out to others. That's what was so wonderful about the entire project."
USA Weekend also contributed to the project by running an acknowledgement of the efforts in its national publication.
Larry Beardsley, a volunteer for the school, drove the supplies south on a trip that took some 11 hours.
Other schools from across the country, including one in West Virginia, saw the story and also sent in items.
Steve Chiaro, principal at Alden, called the project spearheaded by his students "amazing."
"I think it puts a strong measure on the hearts of our kids who participated," he said, noting efforts were led by fourth grade students.
"They participated in 'Make A Difference Day' last year and came back wanting to know what this year's project was," he said. "We took it to a whole new level."
Chiaro said local church, community agencies and even Youngstown State University got involved and had drop-off locations for items.
"There were many, many private donors from within the community and many who came to 'Make A Difference Day,'" he said. "When the story went in USA Weekend, people called our school and wanted to ship stuff. It really took off."
Interested?
Anyone interested in picking up materials for children affected by Katrina can contact McGlown at 624-2936.
|
|
