By Patricia L. Harman

Screams of laughter rang out across the field at the Kingston Springs Picnic in Nashville, Tenn. Sponsored by Belfor, the end of year party was a particularly joyous occasion for the teachers, students and their families following a flood that devastated their school.

Kingston Springs Elementary was the hardest hit school in the state, with flood waters from the Harpeth River reaching six feet high throughout much of the building. By the end of the storms, the flood waters were about 12 inches below the top of the doors.

Belfor General Manager Russ Dailey and Project Manager Nile Baker knew what had to be done to put the building back together so it would be ready for the fall opening. But the more immediate issue was working with the teachers and administrators to help the students deal with the devastation and the abrupt ending of their school year.

At the suggestion of the teachers and principal, it was decided to hold an end of year picnic that would allow them to roll several different events into one. Students would be able to get their yearbooks, have a modified sports day, say good-bye to their teachers and have an end-of-year picnic complete with hot dogs, hamburgers and all of the fixings.

Belfor sponsored the picnic, providing an array of prizes, the food, huge blow-up slides and inflatable castles, the generator for the sound system, and a banner to welcome everyone.

“We’re here to see if we can help you celebrate the end of the school year,” Dailey told the group. “We are working to get everything back into your school and there will be lots of new things this fall.”

Work is expected to continue through the summer.