NEWS & EVENTS: SIA IN THE NEWS STORY DETAILS

Dear Academy Families and Friends,

Many of you have asked about our community service initiatives for the holiday season and the year in general, so I hope this letter helps to better explain our mission.

The Academy is assisting 22 people—eight families in all—who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Our Upper School students have affectionately named them, "The NOLA 22” ( New Orleans , Louisiana , 22 people). The Upper School ’s Student Organization for Service (SOS) is coordinating a school-wide campaign to help these folks rebuild their lives.

We learned about these particular people through Mrs. Falcone, a Lower School parent, who has a friend who teaches at Archbishop Blenk High School , in Gretna , Louisiana. Mrs. Falcone’s friend relayed stories of the terrible loss and hardship incurred by several of her co-workers and their relatives when they were forced from their homes by flooding that reached their roofline. 

Mrs. Falcone and some friends in New York immediately began collecting donations of money and clothing for these families in September. The Academy and SOS began supporting the effort through bake and plant sales. At Academy Day, SOS collected $837.36 by selling gently used school clothing. Our initial work raised just over $2,000.00, so for Thanksgiving, we were able to send a $250 Super Wal-Mart gift card to each of the eight families.

We hope to be able to do as much or more for the upcoming holiday season. How can you help? SOS has set up a special Giving Tree, appropriately decorated with Mardi Gras beads, in the Crowe Hall Lobby. The tree is covered with cards that contain a gift idea to help make the holidays brighter for the NOLA 22 families. Please visit the tree with your child and choose a card. Wrapped gifts (labeled with the original card) should be returned to the basket alongside the Giving Tree on or before December 16. Your gift will help make the holidays much brighter for these families.

It is a joy to see our community united in this grass roots project for a worthy cause and to have an opportunity to directly contribute to making a small difference in the lives of those in need. The Academy will continue to assist the NOLA 22 families in other ways throughout the school year, including outreach of local businesses and foundations, and a benefit concert featuring Upper School students on January 13. Any suggestions or support to NOLA 22 are welcome. Please contact me at the numbers below, or Mrs. Falcone c/o SIA for any additional information.

Photos of NOLA 22 families as well as emails and cards from them are on display around campus. Please look for them to see the difference our efforts are making in the lives of these people.

On behalf of the entire SIA community and our new friends from New Orleans , I would like to thank you in advance for your generosity and wish you a most wonderful holiday season.

Sincerely,
Caren Platis (718-303-5519)
cplatis@statenislandacademy.org

Posted 12/19/2005: Thank you to all who donated so generously to NOLA 22, through the Giving Tree. Five boxes containing beautiful gifts and gift cards were shipped to New Orleans on Friday, 12/16.