Monday, October 31, 2005 10:04 AM CST
Good Samaritans from Mattoon make history in Bogalusa
By Bill Lair, Managing Editor
MATTOON -- While major cities like New Orleans and Biloxi got most of the attention when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in September, other communities also needed help.
Bogalusa, La., also suffered major damage and was out of the relief spotlight until two couples from Mattoon brought some help.
Sister Amelia Ibarra, principal of Annunciation Catholic School in Bogalusa, said Gerald and Ginger Lindley and Barclay and Blanche Mills of Mattoon brought supplies and hope to the people of Bogalusa.
“They went down in history at our school,” Sister Amelia said in a recent telephone call. “They brought a lot of love.”
The Lindleys and Mills set up a collecting point at the Osco parking lot in Mattoon shortly after Katrina hit in Louisiana. The Lindleys’ daughter, Deanna Lapeyrouse, and her husband live in Mandeville, La., near Bogalusa.
Mrs. Mills said the credit goes to local residents who contributed items and cash to the relief effort.
The two couples took truckloads of water, food, diapers, baby food, medical supplies, toys and other items with much of it ending up at Annunciation School.
“The generosity of the American people is fabulous,” Sister Amelia said. “I just want to say to everyone, we truly appreciate it. This is a long overdue ‘God Bless all of you.’”
Blanche Mills said the two couples first took donated items to Mandeville to help the Lapeyrouses, who own a candy factory there. Most of their employees lost everything, Mrs. Mills said.
The employees took some of the donated items and then the couples contacted the Red Cross, who eventually sent them to Bogalusa.
“They hadn’t had much help yet,” Mrs. Mills said. “They wanted to get a relief center started at the school. They were almost in tears. They were thrilled.”
Inmates from a local prison helped unload the supplies.
“We called them the ‘Organized Team,’” Sister Amelia said of the Lindleys and Mills. “They are retired teachers and they knew what they were doing. We set up a store and kept inviting people from the community to come in. Parents never dreamed they would have these kinds of supplies. It was very touching.”
Mrs. Mills said Hurricane Katrina spun off several tornadoes which went through the Bogalusa area.
“Our city is in a timber section of Louisiana,” Sister Amelia said. “We have lost thousands of trees. I think about 70 percent of our homes had trees in them and 30 percent are not livable.”
While Bogalusa residents try to rebuild, they want the people of the Mattoon area to know that their contributions helped.
“The people in Mattoon were just wonderful,” Mrs. Mills said. “One woman said her granddaughter outgrew some toddler clothes and she would bring them. She came back with the little girl and the girl said, ‘Would you take this teddy bear and give it to one of the kids?’”
In addition to supplies, people also gave more than $3,000 in cash to the Lindleys and Mills to take with them.
They gave some money to the nuns at Annunciation and some to the Lapeyrouses’ employees. Then at one of the few restaurants open, a waitress was telling the couples of her losses and how she needed to be at work to make some money.
“So we gave her a hundred dollars and she just cried and cried and cried,” Mrs. Mills said. “She said it was the first nice thing that had happened to her since the storm hit.”
Annunciation School was closed for four weeks before reopening. Sister Amelia says returning to school has brought some normalcy. But she knows Thanksgiving and Christmas may be tough.
“Things are getting better but we will never forget all those who helped us,” Sister Amelia said. “So many people showed love and concern. Despite the problems, Hurricane Katrina brought people together.”
Contact Bill Lair at blair@jg-tc.com or 238-6865.
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