A Hurricane of Compassion

Houston Montessori Center Leads the National Montessori Effort to Help Victims of Hurricane, And More

The Houston Montessori Center has channeled much of the American Montessori community's philanthropic support for hurricane victims.

The center received donations from more than 100 schools by Dec. 1, according to Gretta Yeager, who along with Betsy Coe is coordinating the Center's outreach. Donors includes schools, scout troops and individuals. Yeager was planning to personally deliver one round of goods to several schools during the first week of December.

The staff of the center has provided support to individuals in a trailer park, found housing and public and private school placements for victims of the hurricane and provided materials to public schools with few materials.

According to Coe, HMC is supporting several initiatives, including the creation of more than 10,000 personal care kits and supports for five Montessori schools that experienced serious damage.

"Montessorians have been so generous," Coe wrote in an e-mail. "We have received thousands of personal care and children kits from schools as far away as Hawaii. As donations arrive at Houston Montessori Center, we inventory them and then send them directly to the people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas through connections we have made with schools and communities. We also packed two D containers (6 feet x 6 feet x 5 feet) of personal care kits for Pakistan.

"From the beginning, HMC served as a resource center for displaced families to find Montessori schools for their children. Many schools in Houston and across the country have opened their schools to the children free of charge and literally set up families with furniture, clothing, and personal belongings.

"We have given three scholarships to New Orleans area schools to enable students to return to their Montessori schools now that jobs and funds are limited in these areas. We have also helped equip one early childhood class in Mississippi with donated Montessori materials, which reopened Nov. 1, and are now helping equip a new Montessori early childhood classroom that is being set up for the displaced children in the New Orleans area.

"We are continuing to take children care kits, Montessori materials, and coins for compassion, which is posted on the AMS website. The high school students at School of the Woods will take all the donated Montessori materials and package them into classroom sets so they are ready as schools are ready to rebuild. We also plan to send some of the materials to Central and South America after the Houston AMS national conference. There is much work yet to do, and we appreciate everyone's help."

Coe and Yeager said HMC will continue to gather resources for distribution to those in need.

INFO: Houston Montessori Center, (713) 465-7670.