Louisiana Flooding: Helping their Schools, Teachers and Students

We found out recently that several schools in and around the Ascension Parish would be delayed in opening/starting due to the recent flooding in Louisiana. Watching the news and reading the papers you feel it and you see it – just not the way those that are living there do. With getting my own children ready for school I had not even thought of “the schools” and how they were affected. I had seen mostly the displacement of families and pets and too many people losing everything. Left with unimaginable horror at what those in the area were dealing with and going through.

It was during this time that a friend spoke about the schools in her area and items needed: from supplies for every day (pencils, papers, binders and more) for the teachers, classrooms, and students. This includes  the libraries at affected schools where all books are a total loss (water logged and after the water from the floods go down there’s mold to contend with) and need to be replaced. She was asking for gently-used books to be sent and my daughter started gathering books up and proposed to go to her school principal and ask if they could do a drive there for books and supplies. While speaking with my friend and with our local elementary school I spoke with Melissa and we wanted to get this information out for anyone else that wanted to help in some way. So this is our current #ProjectKindness ~ #AscensionStrong … in hopes that we can help in some small way.

I’ve been following what I can on the Ascension Parish Schools Facebook page and reading what I can find online too. Several PTO’s throughout Louisiana (and other states, along with businesses) and those locally close to Ascension Parish are doing various drives; even one doing school uniforms. There is also an online Ascension Public Schools Flood Recovery Fund setup for those that wish to donate monetarily.

If you have any gently-used (or even new) 5K – 8th Grade library/reading books that you would like to donate and send – or supplies, please send them to: Central Primary PTO [c/o Miranda or Franny], 15387 Braud Road, Prairieville, Louisiana, 70769. All monies at this time would need to go through the Ascension Public Schools Flood Recovery Fund – until I find any other Parish recovery funds or know of other ways to send if you’d like to send monies. They currently have four elementary schools, one middle and one high school affected.

From what I’ve gathered to date, Ascension Public Schools will re-open in a two-step phase as the district continues to recover from the flooding. All employees will report to work on Wednesday, August 24th – including students attending schools in Donaldsonville. Currently, all other students will return on Monday, August 29th as the district finalizes a plan to accommodate the 5,000 displaced students from five affected campuses.

If by chance you would like to help by donating school uniforms, a group of Oak Grove Primary parents is partnering with Volunteer Ascension (Facebook page). They have a new temporary warehouse location: 932 W. Orice Roth Road, Gonzales, Louisiana, 70737 (if local their hours are: Monday – Friday, 7a – 3:30p) and they too are accepting supplies. Please note that there will be no distribution to individuals from the warehouse as that will take place directly at the school level.

Links:
Ascension Primary Schools Facebook Page
Ascension Public Schools Flood Recovery Fund
Ascension Public Schools website
Volunteer Ascension Facebook page
Volunteer Ascension website

#AscensionStrong #RoadToRecovery #LouisianaFlood #LouisianaFlood2016

Livingston Parish Public Schools are affected as well. Currently, the Livingston Parish Public Schools will remain closed until further notice. I do not have information on current drives being held – as I have seen some reports that this parish along with a certain town (Denham Springs) was hit the hardest. The parish above and this parish (along with more) had previously not seen or it had been in some cases many, many (50++) years (if at all) any flooding by/from the river. These are the homes and landowners, renters, schools, businesses and families that are relying on FEMA assistance as the vast majority did not have flood insurance.

Many of the schools in Livingston Parish do not have a place to store items/supplies and are using LPLTC as their central location to gather donations and then deliver to the impacted schools. You may email: friends@lpsb.org regarding any donations of items and/or school supplies you would like to send or drop off (if local) for Livingston Parish. An online fund has been set up if you would like to help the Livingston Parish Public Schools monetarily.

Links:
Monetary Online Fund for Livingston Parish Public Schools
Goods and Services (donation of supplies for LPPS) Email: friends@lpsb.org
Livingston Parish Public Schools website