NEW ORLEANS — It’s time for a little spring cleaning! The first thing to go are those bags of beads we caught last week.
St. Catherine’s of Siena encourages parents to bring their beads from Mardi Gras to the school yearly, instead of sneaking them past their children to throw them out, for a good cause.
The beads then take a trip to the other side of town, to St. Michael’s special school where they are re-purposed to sell to Krewes for other parades.
“Our students separate the beads, and re-package them for sale, and the proceeds help us pay for the education and activities here at St. Michael’s,” said Tish Sauerhoff, the school’s principal.
This simple donation helps them raise $30,000 to $45,000 yearly.
A group of Rummel boys helps load and unload the U-haul that gets filled to the brim.
“Plastic takes a really long time to break down and it’s bad for the environment, so instead of taking the beads to the landfill, we donate them for a good cause,” said Rummel student, Zach Smith.
You can also drop off beads year round at St. Michael’s, they have baskets near the front door.
And if you didn’t catch any beads, their next fundraiser is April 23rd.