St. Vincent de Paul helps students on Gulf Coast

A Catholic education association hopes to raise a dollar from each of the students in its member schools.

Six-year-old Krista Martin said it was easy to keep her dollar in her fist while waiting patiently to drop it in the donation basket.

Giving her dollar was her favorite part of the special service, she said.

Her dollar and the other $423 raised during Tuesday morning's St. Vincent de Paul school's special prayer service for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita will help support children affected by the disasters.

The school holds special services when there is a perceived need in the community and in the world, such as when the pope died or Sept. 11, principal Nancy Heberlie said.

St. Vincent is teaming with the National Catholic Education Association to raise one dollar from each of the 6.6 million students enrolled in its member schools.

The effort is called "Child to Child: A Catholic Campaign to Aid Education."

The money will be used to help Catholic children with free tuition, religion books, other resources and housing needs so they can once again begin attending school.

"I want you to think of all the boys and girls who are not in school because they do not have a Catholic school to go to," Heberlie said before the collection was taken.

Krista said it is important to help because some of those children affected by the hurricane don't have anything.

"I want to help them," she said.

During the service, Heberlie mentioned her niece and nephew who lived on the north side of New Orleans. They just returned to New Orleans about a week ago, she said.

Heberlie told the students during the service that their money will go to help other children, like her niece and nephew, who may not have a school to go to.

Nearly all of the 347 students in attendance had something to put in the basket.

Heberlie said she had students coming up to her all day proudly telling her they remembered their dollar.

"The students at St. Vincent are used to giving. It is part of who we are," Heberle said.

The NCEA has really pushed the schools to participate in this effort and so St. Vincent decided to step up from the traditional penny collection and collect dollars, Heberlie said.

"Children always have had a great capacity for compassion and generosity," she said.

St. Vincent is not just participating in the "Child to Child" campaign; it are also asking students to donate items for the hurricane relief shelter in Charleston, Mo. Needed items include towels, gas cards, prepaid wireless phones, nonperishable food items and restaurant gift certificates.

For those students who may have forgotten their dollar and for others interested in making a donation, St. Vincent will be taking donations for the rest of the week. For more information, call 334-9534.

ameyer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127