Although the cash and checks are still being counted, it’s already clear that the students, parents and employees of Alachua County Public Schools dug deep when it came to contributing money to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The district had set aside Friday, September 9, as “Help Make Change” Day. Schools and other district worksites collected loose change, bills and checks on that day, with all the funds going to the Red Cross to support its relief efforts. The donations are currently being counted and processed, but already the totals are impressive.

“With just a few schools and worksites reporting their totals, we’ve already collected several thousand dollars,” said Superintendent Dan Boyd. “I’m really excited about the wonderful response—it’s just what I expected from our schools and community.”

The idea of collecting loose change districtwide for Hurricane Katrina victims originated with a teacher at Lincoln Middle School. Wanda Clark said she thought it was an opportunity for students to learn a valuable lesson.

“The children can learn that there is something they can do to help others in a time of need,” she said.

Lincoln’s principal Don Lewis said he was touched by the response of his students.

“As I was walking through hallways, I had kids reaching into their pockets to give me money for this,” he said. “By the time I got to my office, I had tears in my eyes. It was very moving.”

At Idylwild Elementary School, 5^th-grade teacher Bridget Schmidt and her students coordinated Hurricane Katrina collections for the entire school. Their final tally was more than $2300, an outstanding result for a school of not quite 600 students.

“It’s been empowering for them to know that they can make a difference, that they can make a change,” said Schmidt. “That’s been the most exciting thing.”

It will take several days for all of the money collected, which included tens of thousands of coins, to be counted. The district plans to present a check for the full amount to a Red Cross representative during the upcoming School Board meeting on September 20.

Some Alachua County schools are also in the process of collecting canned goods, household goods and other items for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. It’s expected that those efforts will continue for at least several weeks.