This is so wonderful, god bless all those people who are volunteering and donating.

Good job everyone

where can we send stuff to?

One of those two dozen kids is mine, but I'd claim the lot of them! Freedom High School students responded to help with clean up after the Red River Valley flooding in 1997 too. Our teachers,school district and community believe that these experiences are transformative; education at its BEST! Way to Go, Freedom! Proud to be Katie's Mom.

This is wonderful, so many people have donated from the heart, however, those of us who have had to use our savings to restore our homes, while the bank hold our insurance money, do not have anything left to purchase gifts for our children.How do we register, every site I visit tells me to donate, donate, donate - but how do I apply for my two small children to receive just something simple, like maybe a new bike that was lost in the storm.

This is amazing. Those high schoolers who are volunteering are having a life-changing experience; good for them. I'm wondering if it's still possible to contribute to this, and how to go about doing so.

is there anywhere they are collecting donations like this for adults? (housewares, appliances, clothes, etc)

THOSE KIDS ARE DOING A WONDERFUL THING, THIS IS STORIES I LIKE TO READ. GOD BLESS THEM.
GIGI CRAWFORD

I'm extremely touched by these volunteers, and the organizations that donated these items, because of this, I am reminded to spread my kindness to others in need during this holiday season.

THOSE KIDS ARE DOING A WONDERFUL THING, THIS IS STORIES I LIKE TO READ. GOD BLESS THEM.
GIGI CRAWFORD

My eye fill with tears of happiness knowing that so many people are helping to make Christmas special for those who are devastated by Katrinia. I know God is smiling on everyone who has stepped up to make all of this possible.

Having seen some of the devastation first hand and heard the awful problems people are having with their insurance companies, I think this is one of the greatest things being done for these families. Many of these people do not have the time or money to go shopping. Without these generous donations there would be many heartbroken children on Christmas morning when Santa didn't come.

This story is genuine proof that Americans do not have "Katrina Fatigue". I think that Americans should be proud that we have come together and have contributed our time, money and resources to this horrific tragedy. I know in my heart that we will continue to do so as long as needed.

It brings a tear to my eye to see all those helping those in need! Without all the help of the Freedom kids and the many others, Christmas wouldn't be the same. At least now the families will have something to brighten their holiday. I am proud to say I am a Freedom alumni as well as a proud brother to one of the volunteers to something with such a great cause!!

Thank God that the donators and volunteers are color blind, unlike our country's leader!

As a freshman in college, this story touches me. We see alot of talk today on how "big companies" should donate, its nice to see that everyone can help.

Best wishes
Merry Christmas

How can you donate,money to help this cause? This is so great and God Bless them all.

It is just a blessing to know that so many people still care about others. It is God's will will for his people to help the unfortunate. And right I know that there is a big smile on his face. Congratulations!

For info. on the Lakeshore Christmas project, you may visit www.rebuildlakeshore.com. The Christmas store will be open to parents next Friday, 12/9. All gifts you wish to donate MUST be shipped THIS WEEKEND. Many gift cards are still needed, so please contribute if you can so that each of these children/teenagers will get something for Christmas.Contact info. for Pam Lackey is on the website.

I am so proud to live in America.Everyone involved in this powerful testimony of love for one another will surely be blessed. And now abideth faith,hope,charity,these three;but the greatest of these is charity-LOVE!
God Bless

I did a little digging; the deadline for sending donated items was Dec 1. However, the community (and plenty of others) is in need of a great deal of materials and money. The church in this article has a website set up with lots of info: http://rebuildlakeshore.com/index.php

Brought tears to my eyes, As long as we continue to love and support each other, we will live through this also

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Martin Luther King.

These students and everyone else who has contributed time and money to help those in need are enriching not only the life they live but the lives of others. It is a testiment to the character of the young people who will someday lead this country.

I am touched by the generosity, but let us not forget that there are those in need in our own hometowns, your neighbor, your coworker may be in need but too embarassed to let it be known. I am going to give at home since I have everything that I need..Merry Christmas, He is the Reason for the Season.

Our daughter is one of the young ladies in this picture and to say WE ARE SO PROUD does not give the emotion in our hearts adequate justice. For the last few months, these students and teachers have worked diligently to make this trip a reality and will soon return to the open arms of parents, family and friends. I believe their greatest reward, amidst all of the thanks and praise they have received, will be their own personal pride, in knowing and remembering for the rest of their lives, that they have made a difference in the lives of others. Kudos to Freedom High School...we can't wait to see you and we can't wait to hear your stories.

GREAT JOB!! My heart goes out to all the families who lost everything due to these devestating hurricanes, but those kids also deserve a hand as well. They are going to make many children happy...Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Years. God Bless you, and keep you all safe this time of year.

To donate items or to register for them, contact the local Catholic Charities office in any of the locations affected by the hurricanes or states which have taken in evacuees. I work with Catholic Charities in Little Rock Arkansas, and we are working with all the hurricane evacuees in our area. If you are an evacuee we may be able to help, and if you have a contribution we would welcome it! See http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/news/katrina/agencies.cfm for more information.

Why do some people feel the need to bring the "color issue" into everything they do and say? These hurricanes did NOT select the color of the people they left homeless. President Bush did NOT cause the hurricanes. He did NOT choose which homes the hurricanes destroyed. I guess in times of tragedy someone must be blamed but why does it often involve the "color issue". I don't see colors when I pray for these hurrican victims or donate to their needs. I see human beings....God's people...our brothers and sisters.

I am proud to say that I am the Principal of Freedom High School and get to work on a daily basis with such great kids and teachers. This project was really a labor of love involving our student body, staff, community members and people from surrounding communities. This will be an experience that will be a lasting memory for everyone.

These messages brought tears to my husbands eyes and mine as we are Ally Wadel grandparents and we know what a kind and caring girl she is. I pray this will change her life is countless ways. Mostly I pray she'll always reach out to others and make her life count.

I am one of those students in the picture. I would first like to say how proud I am of all the students and staff that joined me on the trip. Second I would like to thank everyone who donated to us to help make this trip possible. There is still plenty that can be done for the people of Lakeshore and the surrounding areas. It is wonderful to see all the comments that have been made about us. Lastly, I would like to send a personal Thank You to Pam Lackey and Greg London. If the world was filled with people like you, we would all be in great shape.

Our son, Bob, was one of the teachers at Freedom High School who helped organize the effort and returned with the students at 7:00 this morning (after a drive through the night). It was very touching to see the "welcome home" message of gratitude from the citizens of North Grand Forks, Minnesota -- the people that this same caring high school reached out to after the devastating floods of 1997. We are extremely proud of teachers who change lives both IN and OUTSIDE the classroom. Lessons learned in Mississippi and Grand Forks will last a lifetime. Merry Christmas and God bless.

I'm proud to be a parent of Brennan, a student from Freedom that volunteered to help with this endeavor. The students, staff, families and community are to be commended for their generosity in donations (279 Christmas presents) and a truckload of supplies and food. This was a great opportunity for the kids, and one they will remember for a lifetime. Thank you to the staff for allowing the kids the opportunity to help those that have lost so much. We're proud and honored to have you all!!!!

thank you Dannette i belive this will teach your students more than they could learn in a classroom...about future life and i'm positive motivate them to be better people

I am one of the students in the picture. I would like to say thank you to everybody who supported us this whole time. Also, thanks for the companies and people that donated supplies and gifts to make this possible! This trip taught us a lot and it was an awesome experience

Hey I'm one of those 24 students that went down to help with the Operation FHS(Hurricane Relief in Mississippi.) I would personally want to thank all of the teachers and supporters(moms/dads, and everyone else) for helping us along all this way. The things that you saw on t.v. do not compare to what you see in real life. This trip made some changes in my life. I would also like to thank my fellow peers for making this trip such an awesome time. The people down in Mississippi had to be some of the most generous people that i got to know. There is still some stuff that needs to be finished there(waveland and other places in mississippi), but if it werent for the kindness of people we have in this country...it would still be a disaster. godbless...

We are also parents of one of the students that made the trip from Freedom to Lakeshore, MS. We are very proud of our daughter and all the others that went with her. We thank Freedom High School for allowing such a trip to take place. We also would like to thank all the people that donated to this great cause. We heard a lot of stories about Pam Lackey, you are doing a wonderful thing.

To all the KIDS - TEACHERS - PARENTS - AND EVERYONE putting this together. I hope you are blessed in ways beyond your dreams. You all seem so great and it is so nice to hear about people with a good heart.
THANKS TO YOU ALL!

I am also one of the 24 students who went down to help. All I can say is wow, the sight of everything is just devastating. I dont know how people down they are so nice. The people are just ready and eager to help and really dont seem like they worry about themselves at all; they put others first which is great and amazing. The whole experience was definitely life-changing and I will never forget the things that I saw.

What a wonderful way to keep Christmas in the hearts of our children. Are there plans to host a similar event in 2006? If so, I would love to be involved. I live in California, but can use my extra vacations days lend a helping hand. Please let me know as soon as possible. Thank you.