An Act of Kindness for Lawrence

In these past few days there has been devastation in Lawrence, MA, specifically in the area of the Emily G. Wetherbee School. There have been fires and explosions as a result of the Merrimack Valley gas disaster.  These events have had a major effect on our students and families. Approximately 139 of our 147 third and fourth graders were evacuated from their homes from Thursday to Sunday. Many had to stay with family, friends, or in a shelter.  Their homes were without electricity for days and remain without gas. All of these families lost the food in their refrigerators and freezers and some lost personal belongings due to fire damage. The south part of the city will be without gas for an extended period of time.  As a result, many of the parents who work in the area will not be able to go back to work, and have no income coming in. As our families navigate the aftermath of this disaster, especially replenishing what they lost in their homes, the third and fourth grade teachers of these children want to support them in any way possible.  We have an upcoming field trip planned to take these students to the Topsfield Fair. While the fair admission is free, students are normally responsible for paying for the cost of transportation. This trip would cost each student $8, which comes to a total of $1156. We don't wish to further burden our families at this time by asking for this money, so we have decided to reach out to raise the funds ourselves.  For less than a small pizza, a week of coffees from Dunkin, or an average lunch out you could sponsor a student to attend this field trip.


We have very resilient students and this has been a difficult and scary time full of many unknowns for them.  This field trip will be something exciting for them to look forward to. If we are lucky enough to raise more money than we need, the extra funds will go to Market Basket gift cards to help families replace the groceries that they lost.  In the words of Lisa Currie, “Help because it feels right and you hope it is what someone would do for you if you were in need.” Thank you so much for considering our students and your generosity.