Final Report Written

Having returned to Columbus, OH after the trip to Andrew Jackson Elementary School plus a month's vacation in florida, a full report covering the whole project is posted on the Internet at www.mitchellwebs.com/aje.htm.

I hope you find the pictures and the commentary interesting. The report is 19 typewritten pages long and has many pictures; therefore, it might take a little extra time to load in your browser.

Best regards,
Grandpa Mitch

First Day in Chalmette, near New Orleans

Chalmette is the first suburb east of the infamous 9th ward of New Orleans, reached from this exit off I-10. From this exit, it is just a few miles south to the downtown area of Chalmette. The road is only a few feet above the ever present water, and there are countless remnants of Katrina along the way: overturned boats, semi trailers in the water, skeletons of buildings, twisted billboards and a few businesses proudly proclaiming, "WE'RE BACK!"

The city center is bisected by a street which runs east and west into New Orleans, and the shopping center pictured here is typical of what is left standing - not a single store remains in this area where 20 to 30 feet of water drowned the city.

This home is located across the street from the totally-destroyed, soon to be demolished home owned by Donna Schultz's Mother. The man who owns this house did extensive rescue work in the neighborhood using a wave runner. His house, located just a few blocks from the Andrew Jackson Elementary School, was totally under water.

Some residents have moved into FEMA trailers parked next to their homes while they are trying to rebuild them. This home is a few blocks from the school. Note the portable pump, one of many around the area.

This is Andrew Jackson Elementary School, where our donations are going. The children from seven destroyed elementary schools are now bused here. The school was the first to be put back in service, although it sits in a neighborhood that is totally destroyed. The FEMA trailers are mostly used by teachers, although I'll move into #16 tomorrow. #16 was just vacated by a teacher who is able to move into a new home.

Donna Schultz met me at the trailer, and we were able to off load seventeen cases of supplies, which complement the several shipments we have made so far.

I could post hundreds of heart breaking pictures, but the story would not change. The survivors are trying to restore some semblance of normal life, but it will be a long time in coming. Donna Schultz and her fellow teachers are doing a wonderful job, working under unbelievable conditions. They certainly deserved the support we have given them so far.

Andrew Jackson Elementary School Needs Help

The Circle of Grandparents organization volunteers in the Worthington, Ohio Elementary School System, by volunteering time each month to talk to one of the classes. The volunteer works with the same class all year, and mine is Mrs. Dicke's Fourth Grade at Granby Elementary School where the kids know me as Grandpa Mitch.

Each month there is a discussion word, and December's was Compassion. Compassion vs. sympathy, as I chose to define compassion was: doing something about someone's problem as opposed to just feeling sorry for them. In that vein, I talked about the kids in the New Orleans area, and the continuing problems they face fifteen months after Katrina.

I had Googled the heck out of the Internet to find a school district with the most problems, and ended up finding the Andrew Jackson Elementary School in Chalmette, Louisiana. That's located in St. Bernard Parish near the city of New Orleans. Chalmette had 65,000 residents and thirteen schools prior to the storm. They now have 20,000 residents and only two schools. The children from the seven previous elementary schools were all moved into one of the former high schools, and they have 2,000 students in that one school. There are eleven fourth grades in the school, and I wanted to create a link between my kids' fourth grade and one of them.

The Supervisor of Personnel for the School Board helped me find the assistant principal, Lisa Young, who introduced me (via email) to Mrs. Donna Schultz who teaches a fourth grade class. We started to correspond about what she needed, and we here in Columbus, OH were taken aback by the simplicity of the needs - basic things like paper, markers, scotch tape, file folders, etc. etc.

Our kids were quick to jump on the idea of showing compassion, by gathering supplies and money over the Christmas holidays, and then bringing them to class. I'm going to drive to New Orleans to deliver the supplies in mid January.

While discussing the project with some friends, we quickly found how generous people can be when they know a problem exists. Within a week, we had collected several hundred dollars, and the amount has kept growing. This will be a parallel program to that of the kids', and we will aim at helping all eleven of the fourth grades.

We have a list of needed items from the teacher, and we did ship down an initial shipment of the most basic supplies so it will be there after the kids return from vacation. Now we are purchasing the other supplies needed in Mrs. Schultz's class, and making plans for the other ten.