Number of Participants: 28
Hours Donated: 4
Value of Time Served: $946
Event Type: Children & Youth
Sport: Schools
Date: October 4, 2019
Location:
Levittown
NY, USA
About:
Fifth graders in Richard Schwartz’s class at Abbey Lane Elementary School in the Levittown Public Schools recently began their annual Schwartzville Project, a letter writing campaign to share kindness, hope and encouragement to those affected by cancer.
The project was born last year when Mr. Schwartz asked his former fifth graders what they should do for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. From there, the project took off as students wrote approximately 100 letters to breast cancer survivors and affected family members. At the end of October, the class hosted a Breast Cancer Awareness Event where they invited some of their letter recipients and had their letters on display.
This year, Mr. Schwartz’s 28 fifth graders are continuing the project with the goal to bring even more smiles to people. Each day, the students write and decorate personalized and heartfelt letters to people across the country and world who have been shaped by cancer in some way.
“I hope when they receive the letter that they feel special and that they feel like they deserve it,” said fifth grader Kayla Camacho, who has already written six letters to people around the country and world.
The class has been successful thus far, already receiving more than 350 names within 16 countries and 42 states. The list continues to grow rapidly each day as they collect addresses. At the end of the month, Mr. Schwartz’s class will host another culminating Breast Cancer Awareness Event at the school to celebrate the amazing letter recipients who have demonstrated their strength and courage.
If you or anyone you know has been affected by cancer and would like to receive a letter, please email schwartzvilleproject@gmail.com with your name, address and a description of your hobbies. To learn more about the project, please visit www.schwartzvilleproject.com and The_Schwartzville_Project on Instagram.