University of Miami Student Launches “Books for South Bay”
The fact that a former student nearly 1,000 miles away can start a nationwide campaign showcases the power of social media and how we've all truly become a global community. No one was injured in the fire that began at approximately 10 PM on February 18 and ripped through South Bay Elementary School, destroying two out of three wings. But the devastation was real – and emotional – for the teachers, staff members and students who returned from winter break with no school to return to.
Students resumed classes on Tuesday when a local Catholic church (Our Lady of Grace) permitted use of their classrooms. Meanwhile, the other four elementary schools in the district have loaned books and supplies, with some students sharing their textbooks with South Bay students. But the efforts to help span much further than within the West Babylon community. Local Tragedy Made National Oswald was a class of 2000 graduate of South Bay Elementary. When she heard about the fire, she knew she had to help. On the website, she writes: “We had a library brimming with colorful shelves— a great big collection of stories and knowledge. My teachers stuffed their classroom shelves with books bought from their own paychecks. I was nine, and this school and its teachers offered me the magic of reading anything I could imagine.”
When a major tragedy or disaster, like the hurricane in Haiti, takes place, word spreads that much more quickly through social media channels than it used to through TV and newspapers alone. But when a local disaster hits, it, too, quickly becomes national news. I don't see a downside to this. The more people who know about a problem, the more people who can help. One former South Bay student, now living in North Carolina, summed up many people's feelings on both the loss of the school and the opportunity to assist from a distance. “Just taped up my box of books and a few supplies to be shipped to the Fire Station,” commented Lenore Falco Kennedy. “I am so sad about this fire destroying such a great school! Thank you for putting this together so I could help from a distance!” The Silver Lining When a West Babylon staff member posted pictures of the buildings remains, it gave teachers, students and even families and friends of those with connections to South Bay Elementary the opportunity to share their feelings, to mourn the loss together. The pictures made it even more real. A recent post on Cassie's blog read: "We’ve gotten so much speedy support from the community. The drive officially begins tomorrow at 9am, and we’re hoping to collect as many books and school supplies as possible, so the teachers have what they need to go on teaching. There’s been phone calls, emails and tons of questions on our facebook page, and Sunday still isn’t over yet." Long Island Businesses Pitch In BooksforSouthBay.com offers a list of suggested books to be donated, and teachers are also requesting Barnes & Noble and Target gift cards so they can buy additional supplies they need. You can stay up-to-date on donations and re-building efforts through the Facebook page, or simply add a kind word of support to South Bay teachers and students. It's very true that, more than ever, the world is a global community, which puts us all in a unique position to help each other –and to share our needs-- through social media. We so often think of the power of social media to expand our businesses and to make a profit, but its impact is so much greater than that.
Dawn Allcot E-mail This Page | Follow Us | Return to My Column You can Bookmark & Share this article by clicking here:
This article is an opinion piece which reflects the views of its author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the site itself, or the owners of Long Island Exchange.
For more information please view our terms of service.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
