Brooklyn students thank New Orleans visitors for hurricane help
When students from Fontbonne Hall Academy in Bay Ridge suffered the destruction of their homes and the loss of their belongings in Hurricane Sandy in October, they got a helping hand from thousands of miles away from teenagers who knew exactly what they had gone through.
Students from Cabrini High School, a Catholic school for girls in New Orleans, had lived through Hurricane Katrina in 2005. After Sandy hit, they held bake sales and other events to raise money for the Fontbonne students, many of whom live in Breezy Point, Queens, and a neighborhood that sustained some of the worst damage of Sandy. The New Orleans residents also sent shipments of socks, scarves, and toiletries north to Brooklyn. The shipments arrived on a regular basis, even months after the storm.
On March 27, a group of girls and teachers from Cabrini High School visited Fontbonne Hall Academy on Shore Road, where they were showered with thanks and praise by grateful students, teachers, and administrators. Like Cabrini, Fontbonne is a Catholic high school for girls. They also took part in a pre-Easter prayer service organized by Jennifer Uzzi-Silverio, the campus minister.