Retired Teacher Helping W. Va. Schools Devastated By Flooding
MARSHALL TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A retired school teacher from the North Allegheny School District is doing her part to help schools affected by the massive flooding in West Virginia.
Sandy Stein is a Red Cross volunteer who's seen the devastation in the southern part of West Virginia first-hand.
An estimated 1,200 homes were destroyed and at least 25 schools were damaged, including four in the Kanawha County School District.
"Mud in some places a foot deep, water was 11 feet deep, our high school is totaled, there is mold like you can't imagine. It's hard to describe, it's hard to understand unless you see it," Paul Cochran, of the Kanawha County School District, said.
What troubled her the most were the kids. Stein decided she wanted to help and started collecting school supplies.
"Saw kids that had to put all of their belongings onto the curb and watch a bulldozer take all of their possessions away. So, when I came home, I talked to my friends, we decided we would do a back-to-school drive," Stein said.
She reached out to the North Allegheny School District for somewhere to house the items she collected.
But, the district gave her more than just a place to store the items.
"One thing led to another and we started to make contacts around the district and she talked with some other teachers in the district and it became kind of a district effort," said Jo Welter, the District's Director of Human Resources.
Three schools in the North Allegheny School District are undergoing renovations this summer, and that includes getting new classroom furniture.
So the district decided to donate 3,200 pieces of old furniture, which mostly consists of student desks and chairs.
"I do believe we are a very giving district, trying to help out other schools. All my guys are happy to be helping out," North Allegheny School District Head Custodian Bob Welka said.
Kanawha County Schools is sending up trucks to collect the items.
"We got kids that don't have anything, so we are running anywhere we can to pick up what we can," Cochran said.
The district is holding another school supplies collection drive on Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Intermediate High School.
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