September 23, 2005
LANSING - Michigan Department of Education employees donated over $5,200 to assist in the re-building of schools in Louisiana following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
In addition, the Michigan School for the Deaf in Flint collected donations from staff, parents, and the surrounding community and sent $958 to the Louisiana School for the Deaf to aid in its efforts following the hurricane. The students of the Michigan School for the Deaf donated $300 to the National Association for the Deaf to respond to the needs of all deaf persons in the affected areas.
“It really is impressive what the employees of our small department have done here,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan. “They have shown genuine compassion and generosity in this drive and I am deeply humbled to work with such good people.”
The funds were collected within the Department and will be forwarded to a non-profit foundation in Louisiana and will be directed by the Louisiana Department of Education to meet the needs of individual school districts affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Eight south Louisiana school districts have been directly and severely impacted by the hurricane, while 68 other districts throughout that state have taken in thousands of displaced students from those impacted school districts.
“While many states, including Michigan, have graciously taken in evacuees from the hurricane-affected states, the greatest need for support and assistance remains in Louisiana,” Flanagan noted. “We wanted to provide them with some flexible funds that they can use directly for schools as they deem necessary.”
The “Fund for Katrina Kids” established through the Community Foundation of Acadiana will allow the Louisiana Department of Education to direct the donated funds to match a needs assessment for each school district there, whether it is for textbooks, desks, or other school supplies.
Flanagan said he has spoken with Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cecil Pickard and expressed the concern for the students and educators in Louisiana by the employees of the Michigan Department of Education and educators across the state of Michigan.
“Cecil was very appreciative of our efforts here in Michigan - for the donations and the many Michigan schools that have accepted Louisiana students and are helping them continue their educations while being displaced by the hurricane,” Flanagan said.
To date, 49 Michigan school districts have reported 209 hurricane-displaced students enrolled in their schools.
To contribute monetarily to the education rebuilding in Louisiana, people can make checks out to “Community Foundation of Acadiana” and indicate on the memo portion “Fund for Katrina’s Kids." Checks should be mailed to:
Community Foundation of Acadiana
c/o Raymond Hebert
PO Box 3892
Lafayette, LA 70502-3892
If the donator has any particular instructions as to how the funds are to be used, they can include a letter outlining their wishes. The funds will be used as indicated.
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