Portledge School Deeply Felt Connection To Haitian Devastation
January 14, 2010
(locust Valley, N.Y.) -At Portledge School’s weekly Upper School “Town Meeting” today, the Portledge School connection to the island of Haiti was deeply felt, right here in Locust Valley. Speaking before the packed Gilmour Library were Portledge alum Alain Mathieu, Class of 2008, and Upper School Student Council Vice President, Adeola Adegbite, Class of 2011. Mathieu is a Haitian-Americans and his family has been hard hit by the devastation of Tuesday evening’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Already a nation gripped by poverty and the lack of an adequate infrastructure, Mathieu and Adegbite spoke of Portledge’s two-pronged effort to assist in the immediate needs of disaster relief for Haiti. In his remarks, Adegbite drove home the message that Portledge has both current students and alumni of Haitian descent whose families on the ravaged island are fighting for survival.
At Portledge, the Student Council has spearheaded a grass-roots fundraising drive. Students have been asked to make donations – a dollar or more – which will be funneled into the second prong of the good will initiative. Mathieu and his twin brother Eric, both of whom attended Portledge beginning in their pre-nursery days, are working on a project involving Bates College and Bowdoin College, along with Portledge School. As Mathieu pointed out in his heartfelt speech to his former classmates, “So how can we help? Our goal is to provide as much aid as we possibly can to those who are truly suffering in Haiti. This must be an ongoing process. The items highest in demand right now are food, water purifiers, clothing, first aid and hygienic supplies. Unfortunately, it is much too early to start individually sending supplies, as much more organization is essential if they are to be distributed properly. However, all of these items have one thing in common: money can buy them.” Mathieu, whose mother, Marie-Therese Mathieu, teaches French in Portledge’s Lower School, intends to travel to Haiti to help start the rebuilding process within the next few months.
In his closing remarks, Mathieu implored, “I am asking you all to step up in this time of need. As an alumnus of Portledge, I know the strength of the community that defines us. I know the ability of our student body to rally together to help.” Everyone, both within and beyond Portledge School, is urged to join the Facebook group Portledge Students and Friends for Relief in Haiti http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#/group.php?gid=292098829551&ref=mf. More than 120 Portledge alumni and others have joined the group with one offering to double relief gifts through his company.
Photo Left to right: Adeola Adegbite, Alain Mathieu
Posted by News LI Editor · Filed Under Society
Have a press release or local story you would like us to review? Let us know about it!
| You can Bookmark & Share this page by clicking here: |
|
More Long Island News
-
Long Island Exchange is the leading resource on Long Island New York for news and business. Find Long Island news, check local weather, real estate, classifieds, and personals for Long Island.
News Comments for this Article
Got something to say? Be sure you've read and understand our (Terms of Service)
You may not post any unlawful, threatening, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. All comments should be relevant to the topic and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. You are solely responsible for your own comments, the consequences of posting those comments, and the consequences of any reliance by you on the comments of others. More...
