ACE School Pays It Forward

Last month, Katie Rivard, ACE 16 ACE Teaching Fellows cohort member, emailed me this after the devastating floods along the Mississippi River: “As Memphis is located on the river, flooding has already done some serious damage, and is only supposed to get worse throughout the week...Most of my students live in one of two trailer parks near the school, both of which have been evacuated because of floodwaters. The kids are currently living in shelters, and do not know when and if they will be able to return home. Today, a parent of one of my students took a boat into the trailer park, only to see that everything they own is ruined. Since they have nothing and nowhere to go, they are leaving tonight to go back to Mexico, and may never return. Many other families are in a similar situation. ”

Katie teaches middle school Language Arts and is one of two ACE teachers currently serving at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School in Memphis, TN. Desperate to help her school community, Katie reached out via email to those she knew best to solicit support in the form of prayers, food, clothing, toiletries, or monetary contributions. Her email found its way into the hands of two people she had never met, but nonetheless who would answer her call—Dr. Si Nguyen, principal of Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic School in New Orleans, LA, and Rebecca Kibler of the University of Notre Dame’s World Hunger Coalition.

Dr. Nguyen and the Resurrection school community held a dress down fundraiser for the Our Lady of Sorrows school community and raised $1,000. One Resurrection second grader started a lemonade stand and donated all his profits to help. The school was paying it forward: Ravaged in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, it received unsolicited support from good Samaritans throughout the country as it worked to rebuild and reopen its doors to displaced students. Resurrection--which also employs ACE teachers--has always emphasized the importance of giving back to the local and international communities, but the focus took on special meaning after 2005.  Helping others in need was not only something to be considered, but a responsibility to be embraced.

At the University of Notre Dame, Rebecca Kibler also spearheaded an effort to send much-needed monies to Our Lady of Sorrows families through her work as an officer with the World Hunger Coalition (WHC). WHC holds a lunch fast at the student dining halls each Wednesday throughout the academic year in which participating students pledge not to eat that day. A portion of the money saved through this effort is then donated to the WHC for distribution locally, nationally, and internationally. 

This outpouring of support by both members of the Notre Dame and ACE families is a wonderful witness to Christ’s message of selfless service and love for one’s neighbor. As is written in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’"

If you would like to support the relief efforts of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School in Memphis, TN, donations can be sent to Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Flood Relief, 3700 Thomas Street, Memphis, TN 38127-5259.