December 6, 2018
Palm Beach Daily News
Once the winds of a hurricane subside, the attention often moves on, but the damage remains for those affected. The administration, staff and students at Rosarian Academy did not forget what Hurricane Michael did in northwestern Florida.
In partnership with ABF Freight, Rosarian led a community-wide effort to collect supplies for Floridians affected by the storm. Local schools, organizations, churches and Palm Beach County community members were invited to join the efforts of collecting supplies, and the response was impressive.
Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Palm Beach Gary Gelo reached out to the Catholic schools in the county, sharing a call for help from the superintendent of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. Rosarian Academy responded to this plea and secured the truck and transportation.
A 28-foot trailer was filled with an estimated 4,480 pounds of water, tarps, cleaning supplies, gloves, pet supplies, baby food, diapers, non-perishable food items and more. ABF picked up the trailer and transported it to St. Dominic Catholic Church in Panama City. Catholic Charities staged its food and water distribution at St. Dominic. The donated supplies went directly to the Panama City community and other churches in the area.
“The generosity of our community is heartwarming. This was a wonderful service opportunity for our students to be a part of and witness firsthand,” said Linda Trethewey, Rosarian’s head of school.
