Once again, Clark County community members are reaching out to people impacted by a natural disaster.
As they did after last year’s tornadoes destroyed towns in Kentucky, a group of individuals is collecting items to send to victims of Superstorm Sandy in New York.
Conkwright Middle School staff and students are collecting items for Pave Academy, a Brooklyn school where many students’ homes were destroyed or heavily damaged by the storm.
The effort, which continues through Friday, began after school volunteer Shawna Wells saw a post on the Internet about the school’s needs.
Wells said that after a conversation with an individual at the school, she knew she had to do something.
“I talked to Ali Donovan at Pave Academy and she told me how many of their families were in need. They didn’t have electricity, no heat, no water, things that you and I take for granted having in our homes,” Wells said. “She said they needed many things, especially warm blankets, baby wipes, flashlights and batteries, gloves and hand warmers, things you don’t think about until you don’t have them and can’t get them. It made me want to do something to help.”
When she approached school officials and students about collecting items, they were all excited about helping out a fellow school, Wells said, while Donovan seemed surprised someone from Winchester would make such an offer.
“When I spoke to Ali, you could her the tears in her voice, and just how amazed she was that a small town in Kentucky would want to take time to take up donations and send them up to them in New York,” Wells said. “I don’t think that people other places truly understand that is just what we do here. I think it’s because we are a close-knit community and when we see a need we do what we can to help the people that need help. So I’m not surprised that everyone at the school has jumped in and helped.”
Anyone wishing to contribute to the effort can bring any of the needed items and drop them off at the front entrance at Conkwright between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. today through Friday.
The items will be shipped to Brooklyn Saturday.
Contact Bob Flynn at bflynn@winchestersun.com.
