Number of Participants: 25
Hours Donated: 2
Value of Time Served: $423
Event Type: Health & Medicine
Sport: Schools
Date: October 4, 2019
Location:
Abbey Lane Elementary School
Gardiners Avenue, Levittown
NY
About:
Richard Schwartz, a fifth grade teacher at Abbey Lane Elementary School in the Levittown Public Schools was recently recognized with the Real Men Wear Pink Award from the American Cancer Society. Mr. Schwartz joins a select group of community leaders who are determined to raise money and awareness to support the American Cancer Society’s mission and save lives from breast cancer.
He was nominated for the award by multiple people after establishing The Schwartzville Project with his fifth grade class last school year. The Schwartzville Project is a letter writing campaign that strives to spread smiles around the world to cancer patients, survivors and loved ones affected by cancer. After talking to his class last year about what they could do for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the project was born.
Last October, Mr. Schwartz’s class wrote approximately 100 heartfelt letters to those affected by breast cancer. They hosted a special event at the end of the month for letter recipients where guests were warmly greeted by students and served pink refreshments. The class also presented a video during the event which highlighted the breast cancer research that they conducted while writing their letters.
As a Real Men Wear Pink award recipient, Mr. Schwartz has made it his mission to be a liaison for the breast cancer awareness movement and help schools around the world get involved. Being a part of this new community of leaders has helped Mr. Schwartz reach more people through The Schwartzville Project, which his current fifth grade class is continuing this year.
“It touched my heart to be nominated,” said Mr. Schwartz. “Last year, we really did our best efforts to reach as many people as we could who have been affected by cancer. Any time we have a chance to see how our efforts affected somebody, it really helps validate what it means to ‘do good’ in the world. This is an award given to me, but to me, there are 22 faces behind this award and they were the young hearts making it all possible.”
Photo caption: Fifth grade teacher Richard Schwartz from Abbey Lane Elementary School in the Levittown Public Schools was recognized with the Real Men Wear Pink Award.
Photo courtesy of the Levittown Public Schools
