Cardiovascular surgeon making a difference in classrooms, too

A local cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon recently spearheaded a donation drive, which provided much needed materials to schools locally and in New Orleans.

Dr. Michael Trotter, a surgeon at Cardiovascular Institute of the South, said the concept of the donation drive came to him during a conversation with his wife, Diane. The two were pondering how they could help local schools get supplies, such as paper, pens and backpacks.

Trotter said the initial conversation with his wife began shortly after he returned from a meeting in San Diego, Calif., in January.

“I was reminded of a news story that I saw on one of the local television stations in New Orleans around Christmas time. There was a situation about some of the schools not being able to reopen because they did not have the supplies they needed for the students. I heard a story where the students would come to school and be sent home because the school lacked the resources to complete a full day of school,” Trotter said.

In late March, Trotter headed to New Orleans for the American College of Cardiology Conference. He said he decided to use the furniture and supplies left over from the conference to go to schools, specifically several in Terrebonne, Orleans and St. Bernard parishes.

“What better way to use these supplies than to give them to people who need them the most. I contacted the ACC with my idea, and from there it took off,” Trotter said.

The conference drew nearly 30,000 people to the Crescent City. Trotter, along with ACC officials, issued a campaign donation slogan, “Help Heal the Hearts of the Gulf Coast.”

Hands On New Orleans, a non-profit organization that organizes long-term rebuilding efforts in areas affected by the hurricanes, was also on hand to collect materials from booth vendors after the conference.

“The exhibitors and vendors at these meeting have so much promotional materials left over. We felt it would be put to good use instead of ending up in a landfill somewhere. A lot of times, the furniture used at the exhibits is purchased locally. Instead of paying for shipping to send the stuff back to the company’s main office, most of them just throw it away. So we just said let us have it and put it to good use,” Trotter said.

Hands on New Orleans coordinated with Trotter’s wife, Diane, to find a local school in need of supplies. Elysian Fields Middle School in Houma was one of the rebuilding schools.

“The original idea was to use some of the stuff to make gifts for the teachers n materials that they can use in their classrooms that they don’t have to pay for, which decreases their out-of-pocket expense,” Trotter’s wife said. “After the hurricanes, it was always what the children didn’t have. I thought, ‘Well, what about the teachers?’”

She said when her husband returns from meetings, she uses the trinkets and promotional materials he’s given to make baskets for her daughter’s teachers at St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Houma.

Because the additional relief effort generated the material so close to the end of the school year, Diane Trotter said she plans to make “Welcome Back” baskets for Elysian Fields teachers for the next school term.

Elysian Fields Principal Wayne Vordick said the books bags n or supplement bags n have been a favorite among students.

“The students are definitely using the materials. They are using the notepads to write down homework and classroom assignments, and using the sticky pads for making notation in their textbooks. In all, the kids are excited about using the materials and they really appreciate it,” he said.

Other schools in the Houma-Terrebonne area have also requested some of the donated materials. Trotter said unfortunately there were not enough to go around.

Those wishing to donate to the relief effort can contact Susanne Stahl at Hands on New Orleans, (504) 889-5589.

Staff photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN • Tri-Parish Times * Elysian Field Middle School fifth grader Damion McKinley, 11, unpacks his backpack in Laura Mutz’s social studies class. After a medical convention, Dr. Michael Trotter, of the Cardiovascular Institute of the South, teamed up with Hands on New Orleans, a hurricane relief organization, in donating the backpacks and other much needed supplies to the school.