ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) has announced a nation-wide effort to broker support between schools and districts hit hard by Hurricane Sandy and other districts with the ability to share desperately needed books and supplies, classroom furniture, and even clothing for students. The exchange is part of a larger support effort for impacted schools and communities.
“The storm displaced thousands of children, leaving their homes and neighborhoods destroyed,” said Daniel A. Domenech, AASA’s executive director, in announcing the new initiative. “It may take years to rebuild these communities. AASA can help now by being a conduit for information, resources and supplies. We are reaching out to the communities that have suffered loss to find out what they need, and, with the support of our members across the country, we have put a multi-pronged response in place.”
The effort includes :
• Districts helping Districts: An online district-to-district exchange where members can see what the affected districts need most and contribute directly to the district’s efforts with such things as equipment, transportation, books and classroom supplies.
• Schools helping Schools: Dissemination of effective fundraising strategies for unaffected schools that want to lend financial and material assistance to affected communities, including strategies that engage young people and communities in raising money and resources for those devastated by the storm.
• AASA Members helping Children and Families in Need: AASA’s Urgent Need Mini-Grants are available to assist any children and families in need in districts across the country, including those affected by Sandy. The funds are used to provide urgent health, mental health, education, and other social service needs that impact poor children and their families.
• Corporations Helping Impacted Communities: A partnership with Edbacker, a web-based funding platform to find funds that schools need for all education-related programs, to work with schools impacted by Hurricane Sandy to help them secure the resources they need to rebuild following the storm.
“We built this response on AASA’s work in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated schools all along Gulf Coast,” Domenech commented. “We learned lessons then about how to be effective. This effort represents our national network of education leaders at work. We are grateful to all the districts and individuals who have already joined us. ”
Hurricane-struck districts with needs and any district or individual interested in offering should contact children@aasa.org.
About AASA
The American Association of School Administrators, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.
