Number of Participants: 40
Hours Donated: 2
Value of Time Served: $676
Event Type: Poverty & Homelessness
Sport: Schools
Date: March 22, 2022
Location:
Cherokee Street Elementary School
Cherokee Street, Ronkonkoma
NY
About:
What started as a Writers Workshop unit turned into a sock fundraiser for Cherokee Street Elementary School students in Karyn Goncalves’ and Melissa Comis’ third grade class. The students collected 2,149 pair of new socks to give to the East Islip Ambulance Company, the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless and the citizens of Ukraine.
During the Writers Workshop lesson, the students listened to a speech written by United Nations delegate Severn Cullis-Suzuki, a Canadian environmental activist who urges others to act with the future in mind. The students modeled speeches after Cullis-Suzuki, persuading the school community to donate socks. During their research, the class had learned that the homeless are particularly in need warm socks.
To broaden their campaign, the students made posters for their cause and placed bins around the school. They initially collected 1,149 pair of socks and then received a 1,000-sock donation from apparel company Bombas.
Ms. Goncalves said the students were excited that their cause received such traction in the community. “Even though this cause is now finished, our ideas for giving back to the community are not over,” she said.
Photo captions:
A: Cherokee Street Elementary School students collected 2,149 pair of socks for those in need locally and in Ukraine.
B: Cherokee Street Elementary School teachers Karyn Goncalves and Melissa Comis helped the students sort the collected socks.
C: Third grade Cherokee Elementary School students sorted collected socks to be sent to local organizations and Ukraine.
Photos courtesy of the Connetquot Central School District
