Ocoee schools organize drive for Lousiana flood victims

After what American Red Cross reported as the worst natural disaster to strike the U.S. since Hurricane Sandy, schools in Ocoee are doing what they can to help schools that suffered losses in the Aug. 12 Louisiana flood. 

Three reading coaches from Ocoee Elementary, Middle and High schools — Cheryl Garner, Barbara Wright and McKinsie Rutherford — teamed up to organize a donation drive from Sept. 6 to 30. They hope the drive will produce a number of boxes they can ship to schools in need.

It started with an email Garner sent Rutherford. Garner told Rutherford about her friend in Louisiana, who said her school had to throw away many school materials and desks because of severe water damage.

After a brainstorming session between the three reading coaches, they decided to help some of the schools in Ascension Parish by having each school organize its own supply drive. The idea is that each school will have grade-appropriate boxes they can send to specific classrooms. 

“They don’t even have books to read at this point, so we were kind of talking about that and just thinking what can we do because we have a lot of books lying around that are gently used, so we could kind of send those up their way,” Rutherford said. 

Rutherford, who is in charge of Ocoee Middle’s supply drive, hopes she’ll be able to send 100 boxes to St. Amant Middle school. 

“I really hope that this helps them get their instruction started and helps the students be successful this year,” she said. “It has to be difficult for those teachers and students to have to go back to school so early after a lot of them have lost everything.”

Pictures of the flood-ravaged schools display big piles of desks, books, wood and other structures that the school is forced to discard. The school session began the week after the flood hit, leaving many students whose homes were damaged by the flood to attend school without supplies.

“I can’t imagine how it would feel to have nothing to bring to school on your first day of school,” Rutherford said. “I don’t want the kids to feel that. I want them to have their materials so that they can learn instead of worrying about ‘Where am I going to find a pencil’ or ‘Where am I going to find a spiral notebook.’”

Anyone who chooses to donate also can sponsor an art, physical education or music class and send appropriate items for that classroom. Donations can be dropped off at Ocoee Elementary, 400 S. Lakewood Ave.; Ocoee Middle, 300 S. Bluford Ave.; or Ocoee High, 1925 Ocoee Crown Point Parkway.

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Contact Gabby Baquero at [email protected].