Pine Island students raise $2,508 - and hope - for kids in Louisiana

Pine Island - They have never written a book. They haven’t run for office. They haven’t been on the Tonight Show or on Oprah. They haven’t been to the White House, nor have they ever appeared in The New York Times or Newsweek. They don’t vote so they haven’t participated in any of the recent elections. And they’re not a member of a political party. But in one collective action the Wildcubs of Pine Island Elementary School have done more than most organizations to demonstrate that the true spirit of this season is about giving. On Dec. 1, the Pine Island Children Participating in Relief concert at the Warwick Valley High School did a lot to raise the consciousness about the desperation of the children who attend the Woodmere Elementary school in the New Orleans community of Harvey, Louisiana, that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Woodmere school, like many other buildings in the area, is uninhabitable and there are no materials available to help the teachers keep their students’ education current. There is no place for them to teach and they have been trying to combine their remaining resources with another school that is in worse shape than they are. The CPR concert, “Go Light Your World,” which filled the high school auditorium with parents, friends and Nickelodeon’s Pick Boy, also enriched both performers and attendees with an important intangible ingredient: Hope. Besides the $2,508 that the concert raised to help the Woodmere school staff purchase textbooks and supplies, the Wildcubs sent a message of love and genuine concern. Woodmere’s kids are struggling with many challenges. No matter how resilient we know children can be, the threats they face will have enormous consequences. But now, at least, they know that they are not alone. They know that a group of kids their own age, with a similar school mascot name, is reaching out to them. “Our intention is to send a DVD of the performance to Woodmere, along with the donation,” said Pine Island Principal Jane Hamburger. “We have a hope that we can start a pen-pal exchange with them about life at home in Pine Island and New Orleans, but they are dealing with survival right now. We’ll see....” In 1764, Oliver Goldsmith wrote: Hope, like the gleaming taper’s light, Adorns and cheers our way; And still, as darker grows the light, Emits a brighter ray. The Pine Island Wildcubs have not removed the darkness from Woodmere’s future but they have begun to light the candles. With the CPR benefit concert their gift of giving has given Woodmere some hope. This article and photograph were provided by Peter Lyons Hall, creative director, WarwickInfo.net in Pine Island.