The group of Lakeland Central School District teachers and staff who traveled to the ravaged Broad Channel area on Dec. 15, 2012, to help Hurricane Sandy victims, recently received special thanks from the residents there.
Middle school teacher Camille Parisi received a letter from the director of the Broad Channel Athletic Club who told her the residents of Broad Channel are "forever grateful" for what Parisi and the rest of the staff did for them.
"The day was a huge success because of all of your hard work and lifted our spirits when it was need most," he wrote.
Parisi, along with Michelle Reuter and Mary Eickler and their colleagues at the Lakeland Copper Beech Middle School went to the devastated area to spread some holiday cheer.
They worked indoors to serve hot food, coffee and dessert, distribute toys to children and sing Christmas carols. The group of volunteers were stationed at the Broad Channel Athletic Club in Broad Channel.
Below is the entire letter the Lakeland group of volunteers received:
"Hurricane Sandy swept through Broad Channel and devastated our community. Just two months later during what seemed like the never ending clean up where we worried about how to fix our homes and where we would live, it was Christmas time. The children of our community needed this Christmas more than event and then you came and gave us something that helped.
Not only by having a few extra presents for them but your Christmas BBQ lifted the spirits of the children and the adults of Broad Channel. The day was a huge success because of all of your hard work and lifted up our spirits when it was needed most.
As a teacher you also know the importance of children having what they need for school and the donation of books for both our school and our library will stay with our children for their entire lives.
The residents of Broad Channel will be forever grateful for everything you did for us."
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