The Show Must Go On

Pink Floyd, The Wall 1979

Jenny and her family are collecting books and school supplies for Hackleburg, Alabama, which was recently flattened by a tornado. She is calling it Books for Alabama and her son drew a poster for it:

Jenny had been watching the crisis in Alabama closely and not just because it is her husband's home state.  She had read this article and felt helpless.  But not for long:

By the time I got the kids off to school and returned to the computer to read the article more thoroughly and see the pictures in a larger scale, I had decided we needed to do something. And I wanted my kids to be involved. I can't throw them in the car and drive down there and start handing out water bottles, as much as I want to. But, we can raise some money and do some collections here, which is what I suggested to Drew when he got home from school yesterday afternoon. Because the article was focused mostly on the destruction of the schools there and the students who didn't WANT to go somewhere else, they wanted to go to THEIR school, thank you very much, we decided that thing which we could do is a book drive. But Drew read the article and said, "Mom, we need to do more than just books. They'll need school supplies." That's my boy.

I have already made the ubiquitous donation to Red Cross, but I love that Jenny has provided a way to help that involves actual action. Today, I am making up a flyer and handing it out to my neighbors. If Jenny can put a bin on her porch, so can I.

If you are in the Kansas City area and are interested in donating books or school supplies, please contact Jenny at jennymeade311ATgmailDOTcom.  I am going to throw my name in the pot, in case this gets big, I don't want Jenny overwhelmed  -- you can also contact me at cagey333ATgmailDOTcom.  My schedule is somewhat flexible, so I can do pick-ups.

Thank you, Jenny.  You are always an inspiration.