Florida schools help Mississippi victims: Brevard Public Schools / Florida.

Brevard County Schools in Florida responded to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 by undertaking a major effort to help Jackson County Schools in Mississippi. The effort, which began after some community volunteers went to help in Mississippi, led to the school district being named the Florida state winner in the 2007 National Civic Star Award competition.

One of the Florida volunteers who went to Mississippi, Mike Johnson, returned and asked the superintendent of the Brevard County Schools, Richard A. DiPatri, to get involved. Johnson showed DiPatri a video of the devastation to the Jackson County Public Schools. Then as a result of a request from Jackson County Schools Superintendent Rucks Robinson, a partnership was formed with Brevard County to help the Jackson Schools on their long road to recovery.

Brevard County could identify with the need. It had experienced three hurricanes in the fall of 2004. Over six weeks, Brevard Public Schools served as shelters for more than 10,000 people. Repairs to the schools totaled $17 million.

All 82 schools in Brevard participated in the effort to help the Jackson schools. The emotion felt and desire in Brevard to help in Mississippi was intense. To speed its aid efforts, the Florida school district engaged its education foundation to spearhead the fund-raising portion of the project. The foundation, which has a board of directors made up of community leaders from businesses, was asked to be the conduit for the funds to help Jackson County.

Jackson County schools were closed because the classrooms, books and educational materials had been destroyed. Most students' families would be living in shelters for months, and some families were left homeless.

Each school was asked to participate by hosting a fundraiser. Teachers were asked to donate spare curriculum materials and/or make copies of tests in a particular subject area. Computers were donated by Lockheed Martin to assist the Jackson schools in getting their computer labs reassembled in a timely way. Brevard's 82 schools donated library books, teddy bears, clothing and personal articles. Ads were run on the school district's local education channel, BPS-TV, requesting funds to be sent to the employees and families of students in Jackson County.

Brevard Public Schools donated more than $220,000 to the devastated school district. In the Brevard school district's history, no special fund-raising program had previously exceeded $150,000. The funds were sent to Jackson County for the specific mission of getting the students back in school as soon as possible to improve student learning.

The funds provided the needed clothing, books and school supplies to help the students return to school quickly. In addition, Brevard Public Schools enrolled 125 students from hurricane-affected areas. Each student was given school supplies to get started in the district. Many students stayed enrolled until this past May. An active community-supported program beyond financial contributions was undertaken.

Jackson County students, parents and school staff responded to the aid by sending hundreds of letters thanking the Brevard schools.

For more information, contact Superintendent Richard A. DiPatri at [phone], ext. 401, or by e-mail at [e-mail]. DiPatri "s mailing address is Brevard Public Schools', 2700 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, FL 32940.