Kids Helping Kids After Hurricane Katrina
Here it is 3 weeks later, and people all across this great country are still showing amazing acts of humanity to make things a little easier for those whose lives were affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Case in point: Taylor Rutledge from Clarksville, Tennessee put together sixty (60) backpacks and loaded them each with lots of fun stuff and necessities... just for kids.
Taylor's parents, Jeremiah and Tawana, have a right to be proud of their daughter. In response to Katrina: A FUN Way To Help!, they submitted this photo, along with the following story describing Taylor's heroic "Hugs For Hurricane Victims Drive".
Taylor's parents write:
This is a picture of our daughter Taylor Rutledge with the 60 backpacks she collected from her "Hugs For Hurricane Victims Drive" she held for 2 weeks in our neighborhood. She even emailed her flyer to some schools and asked them to participate.
Byrns Darden Elementary and Kenwood Elementary emailed her back and agreed to help and they did. We delivered them to Grace Works ministries on yesterday (Sept. 17, 2005). She came up with this idea because she wanted to give the kids from the Hurricane a hug, so her clear backpacks were filled with toothpaste, tooth brushes, hand sanitizer, stuffed animals, candy, pencils, crayons, paper, socks, towels, washcloths, soap and some had clothes.
The general idea was each backpack had some things the kids needed, something to write or draw on, a toy and candy to try to take their minds off of what was going on.
We are very proud of her and we really appreciate the schools' and the community's help with her drive.
NOTE: Taylor's story has prompted us to extend our offer to donate $1 for every photo submitted to The Fun Times Guide showing everyday people helping Katrina victims. The new deadline to submit photos is September 30, 2005.
---> Here's the form to submit your own photo.
---> Here are the photos we've received of people helping people.
UPDATE 9/24/05:
We recently learned of another 4th grader who went above & beyond to help young victims of Hurricane Katrina. Read her story here.
hey my name is kaitlin. When i first heard about hurricane Katrina. I thought it was terrible. 3 years ago i put together a littl thing at my church. I put up signs evrywhere. Me an my friend put together this thing where people come and just donated all of their stuff they didnt use. toys, food, clothes, etc. IT was REALLY successful. My mom and her friend drove a few vans with all the things down to new orleans. i couldnt go, but she said that it looked like a hurrican hit it. she said it was devestating. even though it was a year after it happened. i was happy to help and felt good after that
i love that you guys help out i would but i dont have anough money to do enything for the homeless.
hey. i am in sixth grade now when i was in fifth grade i was an class officer and the other officersa and myself got together and heped our teacher hold a money drive for hurricane katrina victims. i believe we earned around $1,000. but there was some help from one paticular kid. whhat he did was he went out and earned money on his own and i belive he earned a couple hundred dollars and to jason yes it dos matter u would want someone to help you if you were in that kind of situation.
Hey I just watched a movie about Hurricane Katrina victims and it made me think of my cousin in Orleans who drowned but saved by firefighters. She now is in an institution becuase when it rains she gets heart attacks. They are teaching her how to touch a glass of water. She is also pettrified because she lost her mother and baby brother in the accident. A comment posted by Jason on Feb. 4th 2006 is rude. I think that hes the one who needs to think about it. Im sure that if he lost everything he would want help now too.
JASON iS WRONG!!!!!!! JASON, THiNK ABOUT iT!!!!
Sorry, but WOOPY FREAKIN DOO. It's as bad as 9-11. Too much media exposure, and nobody freakin cares anymore. I live in San Antonio. I cared for evacuees. I helped them move in to places. You know what? They moved back to New Orleans, where there are supposed to be more tornadoes, and nobody cares anymore. Bush hardly mentioned it in his Union Address.
THINK ABOUT IT !!!!!!!!!!!
im from new orleans and i would like to help with the donation also and understand we are not evacuees we are survivers
I am a 6th grader from Slidell, LA (the west side of the eye of Katrina passed over us) I got 6 foot of water inside my house,I lost eveything except the stuff in my attic. You will never know how much the special things that you have done means to me.
Thank you very much,
Kaitlyn