NEWS & EVENTS: SIA IN THE NEWS STORY DETAILS

Katrina Survivors to Visit and Thank Staten Island Academy Students who Helped Rebuild Their Lives

November 29, 2006 – On Friday, December 1, a New Orleans family affected by Hurricane Katrina will visit Staten Island Academy to personally thank students for all the support they provided last year. Last fall, after Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, Academy students launched a fundraising effort to adopt eight specific families—comprised of 22 individuals—and help them rebuild their lives. The effort was known as “NOLA 22,” after the location hardest hit by the storm and the number of people the students would assist. The Frick family will be visiting on Friday, including Dawn (mom), Derrick (dad), Sydney (age 10) and grandmother Joyce Johnson. The family will be at the school, located at 715 Todt Hill Road, in the afternoon.

Academy students raised thousands of dollars during the 2005-2006 academic year to help these families. Last Thanksgiving, the Academy sent gift cards so the NOLA 22 could buy the essentials for a Thanksgiving feast. Five full boxes of gift cards and presents were sent to the families during the holidays. More than $7,500 was raised at a benefit concert last January. All in all, Academy students raised more than $15,000 to support the 22 survivors.

“Throughout the year the Academy supported the NOLA 22, the families told their stories to the Academy community through e-mails and photographs, which provided a small glimpse into the tragedy that destroyed their homes and community,” said Caren Platis, faculty coordinator for the NOLA 22 project. “The visit from the Frick family is a wonderful conclusion to this project and will help students better understand the results of their efforts. We feel honored that they are taking time out of their schedule during their trip to New York City to come and meet with us.”

# # #

Press Contact: Liz Campbell, 718-303-7813, communication@statenislandacademy.org