Donna Schultz is the teacher we began working with at Andrew Jackson Elementary, so you might like to know a little about her. Donna has taught for 24 years, but lost virtually everything in Katrina. Fourteen feet of water filled her home, and she has been living in an 8' x 24' FEMA trailer for the past sixteen months along with her husband and 16-year old son. In addition to her personal loss, she lost her arsenal of teaching materials, collected over many years. The map above shows the location of Chalmette, where the school is located, relative to downtown New Orleans.
Donna's 16-year old son suffers from Downs Syndrome, but is attending the high school, and is progressing well. Donna also has a daughter who graduated from Tulane University (on
scholarship). Her daughter had moved to Las Vegas in November, right after the storm. However, the day she was supposed to move, Donna's dad died. Just 3 months after Katrina. Her daughter was able to move back to New Orleans, and now works as a concierge in one of the hotels.
scholarship). Her daughter had moved to Las Vegas in November, right after the storm. However, the day she was supposed to move, Donna's dad died. Just 3 months after Katrina. Her daughter was able to move back to New Orleans, and now works as a concierge in one of the hotels.
Despite the hardships, Donna, her husband and sixteen year-old son are working to rebuild their home. She described the progress as painstakingly slow, but the house is now stripped down to it's studs. They are beginning to install utilities. Donna is also starting work on her Master's Degree this year, so you can appreciate that she is stretched thin. On several occasions she has reffered to our group of donors as her angels, and considers herself "blessed."
I think you can understand why we want to help Donna and her fellow teachers at Andrew Jackson Elementary.
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