Tragedy hits home

Hospital staff makes donation

Members of the emergency room staff at Southeast Missouri Hospital have collected $320 from a bake sale and chili day for the American Red Cross relief effort in New York.

Superior Advertising in Gordonville, Mo., has donated several hundred map-shaped magnets of the United States and will donate those to the hospital ER collections. The magnets will be sold for donations to the Red Cross.

Children collect bears for firefighters

Children at Clippard Elementary School collected 300 Teddy bears to send to the New York Firefighters Association. The collection amounts to almost one bear per child in the school.

Some of the stuffed dolls have been "gently loved," said counselor Debra Rau, who helped organize the effort.

Sixth-graders tied red, white and blue ribbons on each bear. Photographs of the school also are included in the package being sent to New York.

Some of the children made posters or cards or wrote messages on the bears, she said.

Rau said the project helps those affected by the terrorist attacks and helps the local children cope with the tragedy.

Friends donate lemonade proceeds

Lindsay Jo Kelley and Amanda McMillan of Cape Girardeau set up a lemonade stand at Kelley's home last Saturday and donated their proceeds to the American Red Cross. The girls collected $100 to send to relief efforts in New York.

Jackson students donate money

About 175 kindergarten students at the Primary Annex in Jackson, Mo., raised $2,029 for the Area Wide United Way.

Principal Andrew Rodgers purchased a PlayStation II, and students sold raffle tickets for it. The goal was $500.

One class also collected coins. The principal created a posterboard-size check to present to the United Way. To help reward the students, one student from each class was selected by drawing to have a pizza party with Rodgers. Liz Aufdenberg, a cafeteria manager, collected the money and performed other organizational tasks.

The class that sold the most tickets was rewarded with a Burger King party. Staci Elfrink's class won.

--From staff reports