Hurricane Relief Update for Sept. 13
Dear Parents,
Thank you all for the heartwarming outpouring of support you have shown for those affected by the hurricane. We have received many enquiries from families displaced by the hurricane and its aftermath.
These families had their children enrolled in French or Spanish immersion programs, so they have a compelling reason to be contacting AIS. Unfortunately, we are full to capacity in some grades and space is limited in others, but we have given advice and support in finding other schooling options. Once a family has toured AIS and submitted an application, following normal procedures, we assess the student before a final decision is made regarding placement.
We have accepted two students, and are testing and trying to find places for at least seven more. These families have relatives and friends in Atlanta so their short-term accommodation needs are being met, but they may need longer-term housing after a few weeks. If you can offer solutions in that area, it would be very helpful.
The Parent Organization and individual parents have generously offered clothing, supplies and short-term housing to those in need, regardless of whether the families join AIS. The other priority for all these displaced families is jobs: if anyone in our community can offer advice on how employment might be found, please contact Aileen Williams, in the Admission Office (awilliams@aischool.org).
The following is an update on the supplies that were collected at the school last week and sent to Louisiana:
‘… the second truck arrived at St Elizabeth's Hospital at 3 a.m. last Monday morning. By 9 a.m. the National Guard was already there gathering much needed supplies including the gravity-flow IV tubing sets as well as sterile instruments. St Elizabeth's Hospital last night had only 3 Foley catheters (for draining the urine in the bladder) left and the supply truck was going to be delayed at least a week. Because of Med Share’s generous donation of 10 pallets of medical supplies, the hospital now has Foley catheters to last at least a few days. I will have more updates as the supplies are distributed. Thank you to everyone who has contributed time and supplies for this effort.’
On Wednesday we received notification from State Senator Judson Hill that another six pallets of medical supplies were on the way, adding these to the items already received at Fulton Paper Company. Another delivery to St. Elizabeth Hospital was made by the end of last week. The AIS drop site stopped receiving donations on Thursday afternoon, but we will continue to evaluate the flow to see if it should continue to remain open.
Thank you to everyone involved with keeping the steady flow of items and supplies.
Regards,
Robert Brindley
Headmaster