After days of record breaking rainfall in Houston, Texas as a result of Hurricane Harvey, JCPS decided to get involved after a request from the Council of the Great City Schools, a council for districts across the nation where JCPS holds membership status.
The Council of the Great City Schools asked their 68 partnered districts to help the Houston Independent School District, one of the member districts in the council.
“The Houston Independent School District continues to have an immediate need for children’s clothes of all sizes,” the email from Michael Casserly of the Council of the Great City Schools said. “Some 50 of the Houston schools have been flooded to some degree, and many families are staying in other less-damaged schools and children do not have extra clothes or school supplies. They need your help.”
The email from the Council of the Great City Schools also listed a link to provide donations to the Houston Independent School District Foundation.
Allison Martin, Communications Director for JCPS, sent out an email to all JCPS principals on behalf of acting superintendent, Marty Pollio, asking for each individual school’s help in providing assistance to the school district in Houston.
“Dr. Pollio is asking our schools to do what they can to help the citizens of Houston recover from the devastating flooding,” Martin said in the email. “We’d love to send a shirt from each of your schools to Houston from JCPS.”
Pollio addressed the public on what the district is doing to help.
“We are highlighting the work of all of our schools in helping Houston Independent School District and the citizens of Houston who have been impacted and affected by Hurricane Harvey,” Pollio said. “I want to thank all of our schools for taking part in that, and really positively affecting other citizens throughout the world.”
When I asked, our schools stepped up. @JCPSKY shirts, water, & supplies headed to Houston. Happy to do my part. #WeAreJCPS #HelpforHarvey https://t.co/aEPb18lVpL
— Dr. Marty Pollio (@JCPSSuper) September 1, 2017
Pollio also participated in the organization of supplies at the host school, Fern Creek Elementary, where hundreds of cases of water, clothes and school supplies will be sent to Houston.
Harvey caused some areas in Houston to receive as much as 50 inches of rain over a few days, according to Adrienne LaFrance of The Atlantic. Hospitals, schools, churches and homes were all flooded as a result of the storm, leaving many people in desperate need of help.
Harvey made landfall for a second time on Wednesday in Louisiana where it has continued to follow a path to the north. As of Friday evening, Harvey had caused 2.37 inches of rain to accumulate in Louisville, according to the National Weather Service of Louisville.
“Our students [are] showing empathy for others, and showing they can change the world, even in little ways, by helping citizens in a community they don’t even know halfway across the country,” said Pollio.
