103 Donors

$120

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Top Donor

Nancy Benjamin

$250

5 Fundraisers

Niloy Gangopa...

$100

$500 Goal

20% Complete

Matthew Racz

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0% Complete

Johnny Pham

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$500 Goal

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Dana Desantis

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Umar Khalid

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A Parish in Devastation

St. John the Baptist Parish was one of the hardest hit areas in southeastern Louisiana during Hurricane Isaac. The parish became the dumping ground for floodwaters from the pumps of four nearby parishes and as a result, over 7000 homes in the parish flooded and 6000 residents had to be rescued from their homes. Waters reached as high as 8 feet in parts of the parish and entire homes were destroyed. Over 19,000 residents were left without power until the water receded.

The damage to two schools, Lake Pontchartrain Elementary and East St. John High School, is estimated to be in the millions, according to the local sheriff’s office. At least 2,000 students have been displaced from school as a result.

Our Students in Need

The St. John Public School district has a free and reduced lunch rate of over 80%. This percentage is commonly used to determine the poverty level of the student body and suggests that pre-Isaac, the students were already on the lowest rungs of the socioeconomic ladder. In addition to losing their homes and possessions, our students have missed almost a month of instructional time.  Schools were closed on August 27th.  While some school reopened on the 10th, East St. John High School had to move their building, and is finally reopening on September 24th. 

How You Can Help

Teach for America serves in both of these schools and while, as teachers, we can only contribute our time and support for our schools and students, we do not have the means to fund supplies, uniforms, and textbooks. We hope you can find the means to contribute to our students’ futures and their family’s recovery.

Meet The Students Your Gift Will Support

Visit our website to see student profiles at http://isaacreliefsjbp.com.

Come Out to St. John on Oct. 13th to Volunteer

Visit the facebook page of the event organized by alums Jen Walcott ('05-'07) and Greta Anderson (05'-09'): https://www.facebook.com/events/451758851529597/

#Stronger than Isaac - A Letter from Ayonte, a student at ESJH

The weekend before the storm hit, everyone was making jokes about the storm and wishing we didn’t have school. Honestly, I wanted to go back to school that Monday. I didn’t think that the storm would be that serious. I didn’t even think the storm would come our way. All I could think of is school, and I was ready for the hurricane situation to be over with so I can go back. When I saw the pictures of our school, I was so shocked. I never said I hated our school. I enjoy it, and wouldn’t want to attend any other school but EastSt. JohnHigh School. We were out for so long, and I was wondering where we would end up. I thank everyone who made it possible for our school to be together, but it’s not the same. It won’t be the same for a while, therefore I have to get used to our new school.

            While I am excited about having a shorter time for classes, I want to learn. I always wished for shorter class periods, but now I realize we don’t need that. We need to learn as much as possible, because we’ve missed so much and forgotten a lot. At first, I didn’t want to be on the morning shift, but now I am glad I am. I can go to practice, take a nap, do homework, clean up and still not be tired for school in the morning. I’m glad I have the morning shift for school.

            I think the goal for our class should stay the same. I would always try my best to achieve higher than the goal though. I think it should stay the same, because no matter what we’ve gone through this pass month, our education is still important. When we come to school, we have to push all our problems away and learn what we need to know to make it better for ourselves. Benjamin and my other teachers taught me well and helped me the best way they can before the storm, and I’m sure they will still continue to do the same.

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