Challenged by their principal to help those in need, the fourth-grade teachers of a Katy elementary school have come to the aid of University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston medical students who are still recovering from Hurricane Ike.
The teachers at Odessa Kilpatrick Elementary School held fund-raisers around the winter holidays to help UTMB students resume their studies after many lost their personal belongings and residences during the storm. Malynn Rodriguez, the school’s principal, had invited the teachers of each grade level to adopt an organization or group of people in need. The fourth-grade teachers chose to hold fund-raisers for UTMB medical students after learning about the university’s Hurricane Recovery Fund on the Internet, said Tanncy Rau, the teachers’ team leader.
And it was their own students who championed the cause, paying $1 each for the opportunity during recess to have their photo taken with a backdrop of a koala, their school mascot. “We sold a ton,” Rau said.
The students also pitched in $5 individually for “fun passes” that allowed them to enjoy unique opportunities, such as having lunch with their teachers and friends or sitting anywhere in their classrooms — including at the teachers’ desks. The proceeds from the fund-raising events netted $650 for UTMB’s Hurricane Recovery Fund.
Dr. Garland D. Anderson, dean of UTMB’s School of Medicine, was impressed by the students’ enthusiasm to help his own students. “The fourth-grade teachers and their students deserve a hearty handshake from me and all of UTMB’s medical students who are still getting their lives back in order following Hurricane Ike,” said Anderson, executive vice president and provost and holder of the Thomas N. and Gleaves T. James Distinguished Chair. “More importantly, their kind gesture of support will boost our students’ spirits as they rededicate themselves to their studies and dreams of becoming physicians.”
Rau said she and her fellow teachers believe their mission to help the medical students is a perfect example of the old adage, “What comes around, goes around.”
“We know that one day, because of their profession, they will be helping us, our family and our friends,” she said. “We never expected any ‘thank you.’ It’s just the right thing to do.”
In a letter enclosed with their contribution to the UTMB Hurricane Recovery Fund, the Kilpatrick Elementary teachers offered their encouragement to the university and Galveston. “We know and pray that this money, although it may not be life changing, will go to help students who have been overwhelmed with the stress of putting their lives back together after such a catastrophic event,” the letter read. “Our hearts go out to the Galveston community, and we admire your resilience.”
To contribute to UTMB’s Hurricane Recovery Fund, visit www.utmb.edu/contribute/