Catholic school students continue to give donations, welcome evacuees

Published: 2005-10-06

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Since Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast region, Catholic schools and parish religious education programs across the country have opened their doors to displaced students and relied upon familiar fundraising efforts to help those affected by the storm. The National Catholic Educational Association's Child to Child campaign for Katrina relief had raised more than $550,000 in donations as of Oct. 5. The campaign sought a $1 contribution from every student in Catholic schools and religious education programs. Currently, an NCEA committee is determining how to disburse the funds to schools damaged or destroyed by the hurricane and schools that took in displaced students. Many of the Catholic schools that took in displaced students did so without charging tuition and also "adopted" their families by providing them with food, shelter and necessary clothes. The number of displaced students was particularly high in areas close to the Gulf; in the Diocese of Baton Rouge, La., schools that were already full added extra hours to accommodate the influx of new students. In the wake of the hurricane, many schools and youth groups gave large sums of money directly to aid organizations. Others collected school supplies, household items, water, diapers, clothes, teddy bears and socks for relief organizations or groups in need.

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