Apple Project
 

 

Apple Page 1          Apple Pictures          Jazz Page         Home Page            Press Release

Off to New York City - by special request of the
September 11th Fund United Way

By James A. Black

Five members of our Apple Project from Dryden High School are now back from New York City. The story is unbelievable. It involves an apple, four young ladies, a long time teacher, a small community, a massive city, movie producers, and the victims of a world tragedy. Yet above all else, it is about the belief in the human spirit to do the right thing.

The story begins on September 11th, 2001, moments after the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City. It is a moment in time caught in our collective mind. It surpasses political agenda’s, social differences, gender disputes, and economic strive. For a moment in time, all other concerns and issues seemed unimportant. The comfort and security of living in North America seemed to end. The world seemed to change its focus. Nevertheless, for the most part, people locked their doors, watched TV as the drama unfolded, and held their loved ones closer. Hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world reached in their pockets and made generous donations to the victims of the families who lost so much in this terrible act of ignorance and disregard for human life. One young teenager of 17, Heather Black, described it as a form of comfort, "hiding it in the back of your mind."
 

Heather and three other students from Heather’s high school in isolated Northwest Ontario were not going to get off so easily as putting the tragedy in the back of their minds. They were going to go on a trip of exploration that would lead them to the emotional and physical edge of Ground Zero in New York City on August 6, 2002 and in the studio of Cyclops Production under the directorship of world renown photographer and film producer Albert Watson. The four young people, Heather Black, Kathy Eskritt, Lauren MacKinnon, and Kristan Aho were the guiding supporters of an activity at Dryden High School called the "Apple Project." Jim Black, Heather’s father, a long time social science and law teacher at Dryden High School received approval for the project, established a web site with Heather (http://dryden.lakeheadu.ca/~jablack/appleproject.html) and prepared the way for the students who were up for the challenge to organize, plan, and implement the many activities related to the Apple Project.

Kathy’s contribution was in her words an "emotional act to an emotional event." She offered to collect pledges to shave her head. For most of her life, she had long blond hair to her waist. On the day of the hair cut the number of students who showed up in the main hallway far exceeded the space available. Almost every student and teacher in the school appeared for the event. Kathy collected with the help of the Apple Project organizers and family members over $1,200.00. They so crowded it at the hair cut that Kathy could hardly get into the foyer where the hair cut was take place. The cut hair was given to the "Locks for Love" cancer program to make wigs for kids who lost their hair during radiation treatment.

With so many ways of donating to the victims of the terrorist tragedy throughout Dryden the Apple Project activities turned their focus to the students and school. The grade nine and 10 teachers and students had a bake sale they called the "Friends of the Big Apple" which raised $125.70.

The Apple Project group turned their attention to an activity they called an "Apple Gate." The volunteer students, and teachers asked to see "Apple Passes" in the hall way. The passing students could purchase the "Apple Pass" with a donation of any amount.

Many activities followed with such things as Apple Tags with the Apple Project students going door to door to home rooms collecting change. Another activity included the Apple Hat Day. Students made a donation to wear a baseball cap in class. The last activity just before Christmas was made possible with donations from many organizations and business in Dryden. While in Dryden, Honourable Jane Stewart, Minister of Human Resources Canada, heard about the Apple Project and donated a basket of items from a local business to be raffled off with the other donations.

With the help of the students and staff and community of Dryden, the Apple Project raised the awareness of the terrorist attack on the people of New York. It became a very positive method of supporting the spirit of humanitarian concern. Heather, Lauren and Kristan were the ones that fallowed through to the very end of the project. Kathy has spent the rest of the year growing back her hair.....it will take a very long time to grow it to the length it ones was. She has inadvertently become one of the most outspoken supporters of the Apple Project as she explains to people who ask her why she cut her hair.

The certified cheque was sent, the bank account closed, the web page updated and well we all thought our part was done.....then Jay Patrick of the United Way September 11th Fund phoned Jim Black and asked if he would be interested in coming to New York City with one of his students to tell the Apple Project story on a Public Service Announcement produced by Cyclops Productions. The Dryden Apple Project group was selected from thousands of groups who raised money and hundreds of thousands of people who donated to support the victims. Only ten groups were selected and the Dryden Apple Project was the only one to be selected from Canada.

Initially two people from the Apple Project were to attend. The teacher and one student of his choice. However; thanks to Jim Black’s credit card and a firm belief that good people would rally to support this unbelievable opportunity for four kids of small town Dryden the numbers of the group went up to five members of the Apple Project. The purpose of the public service announcements is to thank the people who donated to the September 11th Fund.

Much of the costs of the production is being done free gratis. Camera personal, sound people and so on worked at half salary. ( http://www.uwnyc.org/sep11/index.html )

We were treated like family while we were in New York City. The absolute warmth shown by the police officer on Staton Island, the production crew, Albert Watson, the taxi driver that didn’t want to take our fare after we told him why we were in New York...
 

Across from Ground Zero is a grave yard with mementoes posted along a rail fence. As we saw the flags, the memento’s, the fire helmets, each and everyone of the group left part of our heart in New York City. The images taken from the participants for the public service announcement may fall to the editing room floor but all of us were honoured and privileged for the experience.
 

If no one has thanked you for donating to the September 11th fund or you may miss the Public Service Announcement, I would like to say thank you for supporting these great people in New York City in their time of need. Thank you for the support you have given us in allowing four young ambassadors of Canada; Kristan Aho, Heather Black, Kathy Eskritt, and Lauren McKinnon, the opportunity to represent Canada at such a moving and tragic epilogue that will haunt many of us through our life time.

 

Heather Y.  Black,  Student Contact, Dryden High School, Dryden,  ON.,  Canada
James A. Black,  Teacher,   Dryden High School,   
Dryden, Ontario, Canada

Please return to this site for updates. Be sure to click on Reload or Refresh on your browser for the latest update. If you have a page that you would like to link please feel free. Copy the URL and please pass it to a friend.  We need your help in this worth while cause.

Copyright by J.A. Black 2001

Apple Page 1          Apple Pictures          Jazz Page         Home Page