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School enrollment of Katrina refugees tops 150

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizen.com

This year, the halls and classrooms of Fayette County schools are even busier than usual as more than 150 students escaping the devastation of Hurricane Katrina have enrolled locally.

Schools spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach said the system’s enrollment of Katrina students now stands at 155, and she believes the system may be getting near its peak of new students.

As the students from Louisiana and Mississippi get used to their new surroundings, the schools are also trying to help the students get adjusted. Many schools have hosted breakfast or dinner gatherings to unite refugees and their families with other refugees in the same school.

Berry-Dreisbach said Fayette’s newest students have been given new school supplies and gift cards from local retailers to purchase clothes and other items they and their families need. These items were made available through fund-raisers organized at the various schools as well as through private and business donations.

The schools have also been busy staging various fund-raisers for the victims. Berry-Dreisbach said that just under $20,000 has been raised in almost two weeks. She explained that some of the money raised is going directly to help students enrolled at the schools.

Donations are also being made to agencies offering refugee assistance such as Fayette’s Department of Family and Children’s Services, American Red Cross, Second Harvest Food Bank and the Gumbo Krewe, a disaster relief organization based in Louisiana.

In addition to monetary donations, schools are also collecting personal items needed by the refugees such as diapers, baby formula and toiletries.

Berry-Dreisbach also added that local businesses and private donors have also shown their generosity and compassion for the county’s refugees.

Approximately $3,000 has been donated to the school system’s CARE (Children At Risk in Education) program for Target and Wal-Mart gift cards.

Among businesses making donations were Joe and Peggy Thomas, owners of ClubZ! In-Home Tutoring, who gave $1,000 worth of Target gift cards (each card valued at $20) to the school system. All gift cards have been distributed to schools for students enrolling as a result of Katrina.

Fayette’s three Chick-fil-A restaurants held a Katrina Relief Day on Sept. 8 with 10 percent of the stores’ combined sales going to the school system. The fund-raiser yielded $4,150. The money will be used to assist refugees with after-school program tuition, uniforms and equipment for extra-curricular activities and to provide additional crisis counseling as needed.