Mineola Schools Hold Supply Drive for Flood Victims

Although Long Island dodged Hurricane Irene for the most part, other areas of New York were not as lucky. flooded parts of the Southern Tier of New York, specifically the Binghamton and Owego areas, which are only beginning to recover from the devastation.

At one point MacArthur Elementary School in the Binghamton District was under four-and-a-half feet of water. Owego Elementary School in the Owego-Apalachin School District also faced tremendous damage.

In advance of the storm, students attended the first day of classes on Sept. 6, returning home with the expectation the buildings would reopen soon.

Due to the toxicity of the water at both buildings, no items or furniture could be salvaged. While those at the MacArthur School and Owego Elementary School have already managed to find locations for their children to call “school,” they have no supplies.

Learning of the need, Bischoff, a Binghamton native herself, and Phyllis Badinger decided to hold a supply drive to help replace as many of the lost items as possible.

“When we sat down we were determined to find some kind of effort to enable these children continue receiving education,” Bischoff said. “When Phyllis came to me with this idea a light bulb went on. So many people have a connection to Binghamton whether it’s their family or friends.”

Calling their efforts “The Golden Rule Project” for the axiom of “treat others the way you would like to be treated,” donation boxes are available in each of the school buildings to collect the donated school supplies until the drive ends on Sept. 22.

“Having to deal with this tragic flooding and the 9/11 anniversary made it an especially difficult weekend,” Bischoff said. “We look forward to helping our neighbors rebuild their community.”