Dan Welch and his wife, Julia Nambalirwa-Lugudde, co-Directors of the progressive Greenhouse School in Salem (in the greater Boston area) found the opportunities to practice a random act of kindness as well as and what they call "a teachable moment" after Hurricane Sandy slammed the Rockaways. Amazing photos!

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OpedNews contributor Dan Welch and his wife, Julia Nambalirwa-Lugudde, co-Directors of the progressive Greenhouse School in Salem (in the greater Boston area)  found the opportunities to practice a random act of kindness as well as and what they call "a teachable moment" after Hurricane Sandy slammed the Rockaways.

One of Welch's friends and his two sons were displaced from their Rockaway home as a result of the devastation, and The Greenhouse School kids wanted to help. So they dug into their classroom stash and also sent out a call for donations.

The kids helped pack the car with canned goods, toiletries, bleach and cleaning supplies, food, and other requested items.



The release noted, "The (co-Directors) realize that the effort is largely symbolic, and one that is an important learning experience for kids in their care." 

Welch commented, "We need to teach them as young as possible that banding together to help out is not something 'other people' do, or that only agencies can accomplish."

Two of the students accompanied Welch and Nambalirwa-Lugudde on the long drive from Boston to Queens on Sat, Nov 3.



Welch took a number of photos of the damage in the Broad Channel area of The Rockaways.  He said, "Someone had scrawled 'SS Minnow' on this boat, which was smack in the middle of the outbound land in Broad Channel, on the Blvd."











Press release:  Greenhouse School Kids help in Sandy Relief Effort (Nov. 3, 2012) click here

To learn more about the Greenhouse school, see archived OEN articles at

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Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.