I had just returned to school to begin practicing with the Foxcroft soccer team last August when we all learned of the devastation associated with Hurricane Katrina’s landfall. Seeing the desperation on the faces of those people affected by the wrath of Katrina tugged at the heartstrings of each student at Foxcroft.

We might have been miles from the streets of New Orleans, but we all felt the need to do something to alleviate the pain and suffering of those who had lost everything in the storm and ensuing flood. It was at that moment I decided to tap into Foxcroft’s tradition of charity and make an effort to help the victims of Katrina.

After talking about several fundraising ideas, I thought that the Foxcroft community could both raise money for those impacted by Katrina and have a fun time doing it. Since we were going to try and raise money during football season, I suggested that we hold a flag football tournament pitting the freshmen against the sophomores and the juniors against the seniors.

Teams were required to pay an entry fee and other members of the community made individual donations to the Foxcroft Katrina Fund. The highlights were when Mrs. Leipheimer, our Head of School, matched all the faculty giving and the Board of Trustees agreed to donate a sum that pushed the total raised above the $2,000 mark.

We gave most of the money to the American Red Cross and shared the rest with Kelly, a recent Foxcroft graduate and the daughter of one of our housemothers, who traveled with a Middleburg Humane Foundation group to rescue animals stranded by the hurricane.

The flag football games turned out to be a great success and I felt very proud to be a member of such a charitable community. Foxcroft really does live by the motto “to whom much is given, much is expected.” That is what makes this place so special.