Success Stories
Desire Street Academy
When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, New Orleans’ Desire Street Academy was washed out along with most of the rest of the city.
Students and staff of the academy--a private school for underprivileged boys--were staying with friends and family members across the country, as well as in shelters.
School representatives seeking a temporary home for the school in the Florida Panhandle soon after the hurricane were approached by UF/IFAS with an offer of a home: Camp Timpoochee, a Florida 4-H camp in Niceville.
Then-director of development Danny Wuerffel (now the acting executive director) quickly met with UF administrators to solidify the arrangement. Wuerffel was a quarterback at the University of Florida in the 1990s and won a Heisman trophy before going on to play in the NFL for seven seasons.
About 80 of Desire Street Academy’s 100 pupils, in grades 7–12, relocated to Camp Timpoochee for the academic year. Camp Timpoochee offered the school an auditorium, conference rooms, a dining hall, and cabin space. The camp also offered the students a chance to experience outdoor team-building course, a marine laboratory, and beach access.
Because of this unique partnership, students and staff were able to stay together and continue the school’s mission of increasing excellence in academics, athletics, and arts.
Students and staff returned to New Orleans in May 2006.
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