Homelessness represents much more to the children of St. Mary School, Williamston, than just a word in the dictionary. To them homelessness means a call to action, a call to help peers in need. Since late August, inspired by Pope Francis’s call for mercy, the school children have participated in a three phase program to raise money for the children of Southeast Middle School in Baton Rouge, La., many left homeless by August’s massive floods.The initiative began when fourth and fifth graders talked in social studies class about the effects of flooding on children of Southeast Middle School. Their teacher, Mrs. Phyllis Hammang, shared with them a conversation with her friend, Mrs. Lorie Gaubert, who teaches science at Southeast. According to Mrs. Gaubert, the floods had left about a third of the student body homeless as well as many staff members.
Touched by the news, the children brainstormed what they could do to help. They came up with three strategies: a dress out day, a bake sale, and a returnable bottle and can drive. With the approval of the principal, Mrs. Sue Penn, the children shared their plans with the student body through a schoolwide newsletter. Then, they implemented the first of the three phases. In September, each child donated one dollar to dress out of uniform with proceeds benefitting the Baton Rouge project. In mid-October, phase 2 began with parents donating baked goods that were sold to school families and parishioners in connection with the annual book fair. The last phase finished in late October after a two week period of collecting bottles and cans from the community. In all, a total of $500 was collected by the school to support the children of the Baton Rouge School. Mrs. Penn commented, “Our school motto is: We love to learn. We learn to love. The children sure put this motto into practice.”