Number of Participants: 28
Hours Donated: 2
Value of Time Served: $473
Event Type: Poverty & Homelessness
Sport: Schools
Date: February 15, 2018
Location:
North Bellmore
NY, USA
About:
School supplies, toiletries and small toys are among the items that will be sent to children in Nicaragua courtesy of the North Bellmore School District, where “contributing to the global community” is a central part of its mission.
The annual collection drive, which ran through Feb. 9, was coordinated by Spanish enrichment teacher Shagufta Jafri and John Dinkelmeyer Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Maria Regan. Students and staff from the five elementary schools were encouraged to donate items such as notebooks, crayons and coloring books, rulers, soap, toothpaste, brushes and combs, playing cards, jump ropes and travel-size board games.
All the items were brought to Dinkelmeyer, where they were sorted by fifth- and sixth-graders. The donations will soon be shipped to Nicaragua and handed out by a mission group to needy children and teenagers.
“It’s very important that the students learn to be empathetic, and to realize that they’re so fortunate to have so much,” said Ms. Regan. “To be able to give a tube of toothpaste or a box of crayons means so much for other children.”
Photo captions:
1: John Dinkelmeyer fifth-grade teacher Maria Regan was joined by students who donated items for needy children in Nicaragua.
2: Fifth-graders Hailey Honerkamp and Andrew DiStefano helped sort the donations on Feb. 9, the last day of the collection drive.
Photos courtesy of North Bellmore Public Schools
