Last night I got an email from my friend Angie. Angie is a Downtowner who I’ve known for about 11 years. We first met when we were both involved in projects for the now-defunct young professionals organization MPACT Memphis. Angie was the one who got me into affiliate marketing. I don’t do much of it anymore, but it kept me afloat for the 5 months I was in between the last job and the current one in 2008-09, so I am grateful to her for that.
I knew Angie was an Oklahoma native, but I did not realize that she is a product of the Moore, Oklahoma public schools. The district has 22 elementary schools, 5 junior high schools, and 3 high schools. When Angie went to school there, the education was so sought-after that parents would try to “sneak” their children in by borrowing water bills from friends to prove residency. Angie credits the Moore school system for making her the person she is today.
As you’ve probably seen on the news, the tornadoes hit the Moore school system hard on Monday. Two schools will have to be torn down, the administration building was hit, and other schools were severely damaged. Angie’s parents were interviewed on the news last night. You can see the interview on her blog. Also on her blog, you can learn how to donate to the rebuilding of Moore schools in a way that is more direct than going through the Red Cross.
Angie is also looking for people in Memphis to help her put together a fundraiser for the Moore Public Schools. You can contact her at angela(dot)copeland(at)gmail.com if you are interested in helping.
Here’s a satellite map of the damage in Moore. Block-wide path of destroyed homes and buildings all across the town. Wow.
I want this to stand by itself as a post, so I’m delaying the daily news post until after work.