Money from St. Teresa's

A description of the scene at the World Trade Center elicited tears from students at St. Teresa's on Friday.

Red Cross public information officer Donna Brand Moormann was at the Carson City Catholic school to accept $80.52 raised by students for the Sept. 11 relief effort.

"I wanted to commend the young people," she said. "I thought it was wonderful that this school with 176 school children worked so hard to make donations."

Brand Moormann said she told the children about how the people in New York City came together after the attack.

"They asked me to describe what I did in New York City for the Red Cross and I described what I and some of the other volunteers had done and my feelings about going to New York," she said. "I'd always heard stories about New York about how people were not very nice. I found quite the opposite. I told the children that we all need to be part of the human family."

Brand Moorman told the story of a little boy who didn't have any money to give for the relief effort.

"He didn't have any money to give so he gave us two Chuck E Cheese's tokens."

The presentation included a slide show about the 9-11 attacks accompanied by "God Bless America."

"When they did the slide show, the children knew every word to the song," she said. "It was a good thing they had plenty of tissues because I needed them."

Brand Moorman visited the World Trade Center in Manhattan shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The agency is prepared for all types of emergencies from a terrorist attack to natural disaster.

Red Cross disaster assistance is offered free and made possible by voluntary donations of time and money. To donate time or money, contact the Red Cross at 1190 Corporate Boulevard., Reno, NV 89502. For information, call 856-1000.

With more than 84,000 square miles of Nevada to serve, Brand Moormann, a volunteer since 1994, said the Red Cross is always looking for more volunteers.