‘A commitment to spread kindness’
Notre Dame staff drove 1,400 miles to deliver donations after Ida
FAIRFIELD — It’s the “Year of Kindness” at Notre Dame Catholic High School and administration and students put the theme into action following the destruction Hurricane Ida caused in LaPlace, La.
The community of Notre Dame in Fairfield collected nearly $15,000 of donated items and cash in 48 hours.
On Tuesday, Principal Chris Cipriano and Assistant Principal Scott Bannon arrived at St. Charles Catholic High School in Louisiana, after a 1,400 mile drive, to deliver the Uhaul truck of donated items.
“It was really affirming to us to see how positive they were after all they’ve been through,” Cipriano said. “They still had hope. They had smiles on their face and they were appreciative of what we did. They are really an inspirational community.”
When Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana at the end of August, Cipriano and his staff wondered how they could directly help the people that were impacted by the storm. Cipriano began researching and found St. Charles Catholic High School.
“I identified St. Charles because it reminded me so much of ND — a diverse Diocesan high school, in the suburbs, with almost 450 students,” he said. “In my email, I offered our prayers and made an inquiry to see if the ND community could be of assistance.”
About a week later, someone from St. Charles responded, thanking him for reaching out and expressing the need of their community. Cipriano said this launched Notre Dame’s 48-hour collection and plans were put into place on how to deliver the bevy of donations.
“It really spoke to the good that is out there,” Cipriano said. “There was such a willingness to help with an area that needed help the most. This was one of our first big acts of kindness this year and to see the response of the community, it really was a humbling experience to see how quickly the community responded and in such an overwhelming fashion.”
Cipriano said the devastation and destruction he saw when he and Bannon arrived in Louisiana was unimaginable and tough to describe in words.
“The pictures that I saw on television don’t do it justice,” Cipriano said.
“Those 150 mph winds caused a lot of destruction down there. Most folks still didn’t have power back and they were still under a boil water advisory.”
“It was a community that needed help,” he added.
He believes the Notre Dame response and experience from this opportunity was driven by personal connection. He said that while the community could have donated to organizations like the American Red Cross, the personal connection drives home the importance of kindness, something he thinks the students fully understand now.
“I think everyone appreciates the power of this experience,” Cipriano said. “Our community rallied to support a high school that was 12 states away and that no one has ever heard of before. They made a commitment to spread kindness.”