Midstreams Students Raise Funds To Help Irma-Ravaged Fla. School

BRICK, NJ — A group of Brick Township students are bringing change and help to a group of students in the Florida Keys whose school was damaged by Hurricane Irma.

The students of Midstreams Elementary School and its Early Act group took up a collection of coins from throughout the school to send to Big Pine Academy, a public charter school located on Big Pine Key, and sent the money collected to the school earlier this month.

The connection between the schools happened thanks to Lisa Begin-Kruysman, a local author who had been a substitute teacher in the Brick schools who is friends with Sandy Tuttle, a realtor in the Keys whose mother, the late Barbara Tuttle, had dedicated hours worth of work to helping victims of Superstorm Sandy get back into their homes.

Begin-Kruysman said she met Sandy Tuttle several years ago while vacationing in Big Pine Key. The two share a love of dogs and discovered their shared connection to Brick, and have remained in touch every since.

"When Hurricane Irma hit the Keys in September it brought back memories of our own community’s recovery and all those who helped," Begin-Kruysman said. "When I heard that the Big Pine Academy (Elementary School) had suffered severe damage, I contacted Sandy to see how our own local students could help."

Begin-Kruysman then contacted John Billen, the principal at Midstreams Elementary School, to ask if the students would do hold a change collection to help Big Pine Academy. Billen got teacher Lauren Tallarida, coordinator of the school’s Early Act program, involved and they organized a Coin Toss.

The students' donation was generously matched by OceanFirst Bank when OceanFirst Financial Corp Vice President Frank Scarpone learned of the collection, she said.

Cathy Hoffman, principal of Big Pine Academy, said the recovery process has been slow but is moving forward.

"We hope to be able to begin the rebuild of three of our downstairs classrooms when we return from Thanksgiving break," Hoffman said. "The staff, students and families have embraced the changes and destruction with both grace and dignity but we very anxious to begin to move back into once demolished classrooms. We have been humbled by so many people throughout the country who have come to our assistance. We are BPA strong thanks to people like you!"

Photo of Midstreams students provided by Lisa Begin-Kruysman